Rising Embers Over Fallen Harte: Chapter 1 - 14
by Silverolivia
Summary: Set in an AU of sorts; This story follows Andromeda Tsin. A heretic Tech-priest who finds herself wrapped up in the scheming plots of Gods. She had been frozen after her capture and judgement: her crimes including the theft of a sward-class imperial ship, impersonating an inquisitor and ALMOST awakening Malal. Now she is thawed out and must navigate, grief, regret, and redemption
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:**

 ** ****Also, I have edited this document for grammar, spelling and lore corrections! Along with some editions to the story to help flush out the characters.**  
****

 **This is set in an Alternate Universe of sorts. Being a polytheist and avid amimist I was quickly annoyed by the two-dimensional, juvenile portrayals of the gods in warhammer. I really liked the dark, old medieval Europe environment, mixed with the random space tech though. And I easily identified with the Tech-Priests and their prayer's to the machines. So, just as a warning, I have taken some serious liberties with the way that gods, technology, and how all that manifests in the universe. This story is not about be-mech-suited marines, and no vast armies, just the personal journeys of the character's. My interpretation of corruption and the chaos gods is portrayed through grief, regret, and mental illness, and not some amorphous evil. This is a distinct departure from the very black and white mythos of the warhammer universe. However, I hope you enjoy it regardless and thanks for reading!**

* * *

Fallen Heart, Rising Ashes

To Pray Thy Soul is Kept

Rising Embers Over Fallen Harte

I Have Preyed Upon Your Soul

Sundered It Apart

* * *

The cryo pod made a pop noise. All its contents had thawed out and now sloughed to the floor. The angry pink flesh, once frozen solid, slapped the linoleum side of the floor, the other side being metal grating that clanked and rattled in protest.

I tried to open my eyes. No, open my single eye at the moment. Only one was my original flesh the other had been synthetic and so had been removed, along with all my other robotic parts. One arm and one leg was all that remained for limbs, but all the toes and part of the ankle on the remaining leg had been metal and synthetic as well. The flesh had gone a little black and necrotic around the metal edges.

I looked at my hand, the normally brown skin was puckered, glistening and angry, everything was blurry beyond it, accept Griswold's boot that stepped into view. His voice was the only thing I could clearly make out, the other voices and machine sounds were fuzzy and distant. "Stand up, girl." His thick accent was reassuring, and in my disoriented state I wouldn't question why they popped him out of deep sleep, or why they were popping me out for that matter. "I said, get up girl. You need to pull yourself together, they're coming for you now."

"They? Who?" I stammered out as some hands grabbed my arm, leg and torso, heaving me up onto something metal and cold.

I was wheeled out of the room, limp and covered in the slimy, protective goo of the pod. As we traveled the passageways, the blurry fluorescent lights appeared to flash over head as I passed underneath, bumping and clattering down the hall. The table I was on must of had real wheels instead of hover thrusts, the squeek-squeek-clank echoing through the rusted metal corridors of the facility.

Memories of being dragged through these halls and sedated, all to have my limbs ripped from my body and eventually put to cryo-sleep, began to creep into my mind, tugging at the corners like insistent ghosts. I knew that more of my mind would come online, more memories would become accessible, as my internal systems rebooted. My brain had entire chunks of gray and pink noodles taken out and replaced with faster, more efficient mechanical hardware. Almost all of my long term memory was stored on these data banks. Since my synthetic eye was gone I couldn't see the data stream that was running the reboot sequence, but I could feel the effects. I knew my internal code, I had written most of it myself after all, and could feel the little messages being sent out to all the internal organ monitors and generating reports of the results.

I heard murmuring from around me as the personnel began navigating an elevator and then another hall, this one smaller, into a small room with lots of equipment hanging from the ceiling.

"Grab that bag under the trolli. I'll set up the operating table." One of the two people said, pointing to an unseen shelf under where I was limply laying like a dying fish; beached, writhing and gasping for air.

The other cryo-tech leaned down past my bleary vision and grumbled, "damn, are there any human parts left? Is this her liver?" She said straightening and peeking into a plastic bag.

The first tech just shrugged and said, "I was told to decant this one out of deep-sleep. The brass was very insistent that she was awake and reassembled when he arrived."

The other, a woman with light brown hair pulled tightly back into a bun looked impressed and said in a hushed tone, "did they really send Inquisitor codes?"

The first tech, an older man, gray streaks leaking from his hairline down to his neatly trimmed beard, shrugged again, "Orders are orders, regardless of who sends 'em." But his tone also betrayed his own awe at such a humble criminal holding facility being involved in such gossip-worthy happenings. This would obviously be the talk of the whole place for months, years even. Said in hushed tones to impress the new interns.

With a grunt they heaved me from one table to another. The new metal was actually warm, apparently to help with the thawing process. At this point I was able to to coherently make sentences. I saw that Griswold stood on the other side of the observation window, the presence of my old mentor making me feel safer and more calm. His long, unkempt beard hung out from under his mask. While he had always said he grew it to attract the 'women-folk', (his words, not mine), I had always suspected he had kept it so wild and mangy to upset his peers at the adeptus mechanicus. The other professors had always squinched up their faces when he came up out of the sprawling labyrinthine basement of the massive structure. As if his very existence was an affront to their persons and professional credibility.

"Please," I managed as the male-tech prepped a hypo-spray with sedative, reaching out to him with a trembling hand, "How long? How long has it been?"

The female tech touched my arm reassuringly and after taking a quick peek at the tablet that presumably had all my info including my name, she said softly, "Andromeda isn't it? Pretty name. But don't worry, sweetie, after we put you back together we'll brief you on all that." and patted me gently.

Than the male tech jabbed me with the hypo and I began to fall back to the table. As my eye closed slowly I heard the female tech say gently, "that's right, we'll be done in a jiffy."

* * *

I woke up slowly, the headache of being drugged pulling me out of the wonderful darkness. Also an insistent bladder that had apparently gone operational and was demanding release. Shielding my eyes from the fluorescent lights that made me nauseous just moving under them, I sat up. To quickly apparently, my stomach protesting, heaving spit and cryo fluids onto the floor next to me. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and gingerly, more slowly this time, sat up and got to my shaky feet. My eye was back in the socket, a few lines of code ran by at my inquiry. Looked to be in the green for most systems, a few had coded yellow errors with the install of my other parts and flashed insistently as the log scrawled over the inside of my eye. Apparently all the tech did was put me back together and let my body, filled with nano's, do the rest. It was a surprisingly quick and dirty job and I'd have to spend some time making the minute adjustments that made the robotic parts move fluidly, as if they were original to my body.

As it was, the parts had a slight delay and their connections didn't feel as anchored to my skin and bone as perhaps they should be, making them feel ill-fitting. I had to lumber to the little closet that contained the toilet and sink. My metal foot clanking sourly on the floor.

I sat on the toilet after struggling with the medical gown. I gave up on trying to navigate it and took it off, pulling it gently off my robotic arm and wading it up to my chest. Letting my bladder empty, rubbing my still flesh right hand's palm with the mechanical left and reflected on the frustrating time the cryo-techs tasked with my disassembly would have had. Because even now my body is a mix of metal and flesh, it would have been difficult to suss out where my fleshy parts started and robotic ended. I imagined the miserable tech just starting to rip them apart. Some of the damage I could see of the new cryo-tech's shoddy patching might have indicated this.

It's important to note at this point that to cryo-freeze someone is fairly straightforward. You fill their body with special bio-fluid that helps the flesh from degrading over time. However, having metal parts puts a kink into things, because they don't freeze the same way and there tends to be echos. Bizarre dreams of the mech body desperately sending messages to the brain. It's…. Not great to remember those, and sometimes they can be so strong that they wake the person up. That's fine if you're only going to sleep for a year or two, but I was sentenced to, well, forever. So that means that as much of the mechanical parts had to go that could go. It also made any flesh near the metal become damaged and began to rot. Luckily it appeared that the tech's had replaced and flesh-crafted all the blackened dead from my body. Small mercies.

I sighed, pushing the disturbing echoes of that time in deep-freeze that made my skin crawl away from the foreground of my mind and kept searching further. Before that memory was the drag through this facility, before that the sentencing for my crimes… I shivered. The god-king's eyes boring holes into me that I don't think I'll ever be able to get back any time soon. What a hellish mistake. The terror from that memory of His not-voice piercing my mind, declaring my imprisonment.

I heard the door open, pulling me form the memory, and booted feet walked into the room. Military boots? Hadn't the cryo tech mentioned something about an inquisition? Bad news for me. To pop me out of cryo early would have needed some serious red tape. Even for an Inquisitor. Who could go to any planet, wave their hand around and the whole surface would be purged bare. I had been sentenced and sent here by the god-king himself. So now, I was curious what that conversation would have looked like, the Inquisitor, hat in his hands going before the God-king to ask if I could be released. Unless the Emperor had instructed this Inquisitor to pop me out. But still the question hanging in the corners of my mind: why?

A voice from the other side of the door, "Where is she?" Male, older. Maybe forties? I could hear the leather of his holster creak.

"I'm peeing." I said ruefully and opened the sliding door so he could clearly see me… and I could clearly see him.

He was a handsome devil. Definitely late fifties, maybe even sixties. He was clean shaven with cleanly cut silver hair, his black cape draped easily off his shoulders, black leather boots and belt gleamed with the care that must have been put into their maintaining. His stern features, while creased with age, were well defined and very easy on the eyes. He was probably a head turner in his youth, I reflected. I took a snapshot of him like that, standing in the more yellow light of the hall, one gloved hand resting on his belt buckle, the other holding a tablet. Save that for later, I thought with a little smile, but said out loud, "I'm done though." And stood up, letting the ball of medical gown slide down to the floor.

His frown lines deepened once he got a good look at me. His eyes making the rounds up the feminine curves of my body. Over my robotic leg and hip, my mechanical arm, but stopping at my chest. Between my breasts, where the once black text of a chaos gods dark mark of ownership spiraled out, now glowed faintly golden. He wouldn't know this, but the words were different now too.

"So, it's true. 'Once of chaos, she is now the devotee of life and goodness. Branded with my holy power'." At my raised eyebrow of inquiry, he continued, "His words, not mine. I don't speak so flowery. At least, not normally."

I was still unsure what he meant by that, had the Emperor said that about me? But he waved me over to sit on the bed. There was a little stool in the corner that he picked up and set down next to the cot, looking at me expectantly.

I walked over and sat down, pulling my long, dark brown hair back and over my shoulder, twisting it as I did so.

"I was told that the reassembly took longer than expected and you were not briefed on the situation." My face must have portrayed my confusion because he nodded and continued, looking at his tablet, "Well, since your incarceration two-hundred years have passed," he paused to weigh my reaction to his news. Shorter than I had originally guessed, it was still too long and my heart lurched; I looked down at my hands in shock at the implications of that. But he continued, "I was assigned you, as I had foolishly gone to the emperor Himself, and asked for assistance." He signed, resigned, "I was not prepared for his answer. Although most are not ready for their god to answer a prayer, let alone give you a concise and understandable answer back."

I nodded sagely at this, "Yep, it fucking terrifying." He looked up sharply, taken aback by my response. But I was able to hold my placid expression under his sudden scrutiny. "Why?" I asked finally. More of a demand than question.

He held the tablet up and waggled it slightly. "My assignment. Some loose ends from your past, mostly. But there's, well, I need to capture someone. And I was told by Him of all beings, that you could help me. And after reading your file... " again he paused and pursed his lips, weighing something unseen, then as if one side of the internal debate was utterly defeated and he said in a sad, resigned tone, "I trust in His judgement." As if reaffirming it more to himself then me.

I tilted my head at this, taking in the whole of the man, now that I was closer, I could see that he had a bit of scruff from not shaving as recently as I'd thought, and his clothes were slightly rumpled and creased. Not the clean, neigh immaculate clothes and appearance I had once thought. There was darkness on his soul too, I could smell it. Perhaps he was newly minted with his corruption, or maybe it was a long time struggle, but this man was tainted. A perverse smile spread across my lips as I took it's flavor in.

He seemed to look up at me then from his thoughts, noticing me again, and my disturbing smile. "Poor little High Inquisitor…" I trailed off, then continued quickly, "Are you losing your way from the light? How long has it been? Since you truly felt His warmth in your heart?" I let my tone get soft, conspiratorially leaning forward, "How long have you felt lost?"

At that he bared his teeth and quickly, belying his age, backhanded me. There was true strength behind it and a little blood trickled from my lip. "Silence, wretch. You are here on my good graces. You will hold your tongue and treat me with the respect of my station."

I straightened, letting my head loll back, peeling my lips back in a wicked grin, the blood from my broken lip smearing across the teeth. A manic laughter burbling up from my throat. "I was chosen of Malaal, Undead god of night, and the frozen wastes of hell. You. Do. Not. Scare. Me, old man." I choked off the maddening giggles that were clawing their way up my throat. And then I spat the blood on him.

He dropped the tablet on the ground and lunged forward grabbing my neck with one hand, punching me in the face with his other, just the once, and I heard the wet snap of my nose. The look of barely contained rage that flashed across his face as he did so, told me more about the stain on his soul then he probably knew himself.

I laughed in his face, my mouth filling with blood. Now he was talking in a language I was fluent in. Grabbing his coat front, I used it to leverage a knee to his groin. He dodged, feeling my intent, and was able to move his hips enough to get a painful jab in the inner thigh, but not enough to actually slow him. My limbs felt heavy and sluggish, making it surprisingly hard to fight.

This time he hit me squarely in the temple knocking me out.

As I went limp in his hands, he let me go and I slid to the bed. He straightened and smoothed back his hair, adjusting his coat and cape, in an attempt to regain composure. He turned and walked out of the small room, picking up the tablet from the ground and raising one of the techs on comms to 'clean the prisoner up and get her ready for transport'.

* * *

When I came to, the female cryo tech was leaning over me. I had been tucked into the bed, blankets pulled up to my chin, the women was dabbing my face gently with some clean antiseptic and cotton balls.

I groaned and opened my eyes. One was starting to swell shut. "Shh," she soothed as I moved slightly.

"You should have seen the other guy," I said through my swollen lip.

"I did. Why did you pick a fight with an Inquisitor? Your lucky to be alive." She dabbed more and I winced.

"Nah, he still needs me for something. Not that I have the faintest clue what. I kind of teased him until he punched the shit outta me. It's a bad habit from my days at the Mechanicus. They say it's my deep seeded issues with authority." I wiggled my eyebrows at her and sat up wincing at the dull throb in the back of my head. "I say it's just not taking shit from giant cocks. Even handsome-silver-haired cocks."

She stifled a chuckle, looking nervously behind her and biting her lip at the door to my room, as if the High Inquisitor was standing just behind it, waiting to give her a similar beat-down. "Still though, you should just do what he says." She leaned back on her heels, putting the little cotton ball on a pile of bloodied balls she had collected in a small dish. Set on the little stool from earlier next to the bed. "Say, can I ask you a question?" she asked in a slow hesitant tone, taking off her gloves.

"I don't think I can stop you." I gave a little smile that probably looked like a grimace through the swollen skin. She looked thoughtful and a little scared, fingering a pendant that hung from her neck: the pendant of the God-King's sigil. As if she had one wish from a genie and didn't want to waste it on a stupid question, or phrase the question in a way that wouldn't actually get her what she was angling for.

"Your chest…" She paused, "What, um…" She seemed lost as to how to phrase it.

I sat up all the way and looked down at the slowly glowing text. At least it wasn't moving anymore. Sometimes it moved and was perhaps the most unpleasant, skin crawling feeling I had ever encountered. "It's the mark of the Emperor God-King." She boggled at my candid response, her mouth open, her eyes nearly bugging out of her head. I continued, undaunted by her shock, "It was originally black, back when Malaal owned me. But then," Now I paused, going over that moment in my past and unable to find a way to sum it up. "Well, I met the God-King and he offered me a better deal." I finished lamely. She leaned in closer to me now with awe and wonder in her features.

"Did it hurt?"

"Yes, very much. Both times."

She seemed to become lost in thought, attempting to decipher what I meant by that.

"Do you have some anti-inflammatories and some clothes?" I prompted her from her silent thinking. She looked up at me sadly then.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I was told very specifically by Inquisitor Errold that I could only dress your wounds. Not give you anything for the pain or inflammation. Or set your nose." She gestured to my bruising, crooked nose apologetically. "You really made him mad."

"I guess so. Okay, you got more of those cotton balls?"

"Yes," she nodded and held up the bag.

Holding the cartilage of my nose gently, with one quick movement I cracked it, very painfully, back into place. It wasn't pretty, but it would have to do. I quickly plugged up the nostrils with cotton. Tears streamed down my cheeks from the nasal trauma.

"How does it look?" I asked hopefully but her sad little head shake didn't fill me with confidence.

"You might be able to breath out of it. Once the swelling goes down. You'll have to go to a professional though. Someone who can flesh sculpt it back to the way it should be."

I shrugged at that. It wouldn't be the first time. "How about those clothes?"

This she brightened at since apparently the Inquisitor hadn't said anything in particular about my being naked. "Oh, we have everything you came to the facility in. Your weapons were confiscated though. Along with some of your… other effects." I mused at what she meant. My wedding band, maybe? My tool belt?

"Ok, well, give me whatever I got." She nodded smiling. "If you can stand I'll take you to the locker. You can get a shower too, if you'd like."

"That'd be nice."

I stood with her help and wobbled over to the door, grumbling about my leg not being adjusted properly. She just smiled at me and laughed, "At least we could figure out how to put it back on. Fancy tech you got there. Even if it is a few centuries outdated."

I snorted at her as we made our way down the hall to the lockers, offended at the notion that I had outdated tech.

She steered me to the showers and got me her shower caddie. "I don't normally share, but, well, your god-touched." She said with a little happy bounce. My eyebrows almost disappeared into my hairline at that. And I was left, holding the white plastic box from it's cheap handle. Staring blankly at her retreating back.

Well. Who knew being a deities play thing could in anyway have a good benefit. Normally my dealings with gods and their followers ended poorly, as I always seemed to be on the wrong side of every religion.

I showered, the warmth of the water wonderful and familiar. I toweled off and limped over to where the lockers were. Leaning against walls and on doorways as I passed to keep my balance. The female tech had been reading a tablet and looked up at my approach. She gestured to the bag with my personal things in it and the open locker with a long mirror. She also made sure to note that there was a hair brush in the shower caddie that I was encouraged to use, along with the hair ties on it's handle. And she'd found a cane that I could use until I was able to adjust my mechanical parts.

I put on my clothes. They were the stolen clothes of a Sister of Battle, tight black leather with velvet reds and crisp flowing lines, although the intricately made gold plated body armor appeared to be one of the 'confiscated' belongings. The outfit had been a favorite of my wife's and I had worn it more for her pleasure then my own. My personal preference being a t-shirt and slacks. I then slipped my wedding band on, turning it fondly as I did so. We had decided on simple gold bands. Nothing fancy. I had just been so happy to have her, I didn't care about the rings, it was another thing she had insisted on that I found myself giving into without reservation. Then something sobering passed through my thoughts. "Two-hundred years." I said softly. And something sad and unspoken rose up in my throat. Catching the words as they left my mouth. Was that wetness around my eyes from the shower? It must be.

Sensing my mood change the tentative voice behind me said gently, "I have your briefing if you want to look at it. I'm told that you'll be leaving with the Inquisitor later today. I turned and said, "Yeah, I'll take a look at it. Do you-" I felt the choke of emotion in my voice and gritted my teeth against it. "Do you have access to the main data core? Recent events? Personal histories of Imperial troops?"

She seemed surprised by the question then she looked at my hand where I'd been fingering the gold band and a sad expression mirrored my own. "Well, I could probably access some info, but it's um," she seemed uncomfortable, "not for civilian or prisoner eyes." She finished awkwardly and gave me an apologetic look.

I sighed and nodded, it was expected. I was a convicted felon after all. And although she had been very kind to me, asking this seemed too far. I wasn't going to get her in trouble for something that I could most likely find out in a few hours on my own.

I finished up by brushing my hair and putting it back in a loose braid. Taking the tablet in one hand, the cane in the other, I started to read it as we walked to the hanger bay where the Inquisitors shuttle sat.

After a few lines I found out why I had been popped out of cryo. Jason Lockharte's picture smiled mischievously back at me from his mugshot on the tablet. Reading the whole report revealed that this inquisitor had been the second to chase after him. The first finally succumbing to a drinking problem. Typical Lockharte. I had spent most of my time with him as a friend and I could sympathize with the sentiment of being driven to drink oneself to death.

However, it appeared that while Lockharte had managed to elude the last Inquisitor, this new one, Errold, had almost got him several times. And had only been working the case for a scant 3 years. Perhaps I had misjudged you, Silver Fox. I thought as we approached the shuttle.

"I'll leave you here, with the Inquisitor's apprentice." She gave a nod at the shuttle's open door. "He should be just inside." I nodded to her then noted her downward glance, seeming to linger for some reason, shuffling her feet.

I waited a moment then prompted out of curiosity, "was there something else?"

She looked up at my inquiry a look of urgency to her features, "do you hear the god-kings' voice? And-" she paused seeming to loose her nerve, "does he hear you?" at my quizzical expression she continued the thought, "I've heard that those chosen by His Holy Savor of Man, those that carry a holy mark especially have His ear and can deliver others' prayers to Him."

My brows rose in surprise as I had never thought about it like that. It had always been a burden to hear the words of my deities. Or going out of my way to contact them, only doing so in the most extreme situations. They had never said things I found particularly comforting, certainly. I finally said at length, "I honestly never tried to deliver a message for someone else." I hesitated at her disappointed look, "but I've never been asked to," I quickly added, feeling like I should try to do something nice in return for this woman's earlier kindness. "is there something you wanted to ask the god-king?"

Her eyes widened at this and she gave me a grateful nod.

"How do I…?" she let the question hang.

I shrugged and held my hands out, palms up, fingers spread, showing that I was just as out of my depth as she was. She pressed her lips together in thought and then said, "During confession the cleric first says he must open himself to the divine light then tells us to whisper our confession."

"Huh, well, I think I can do that." I took a moment and felt that hole in my soul, my hand absently touching my chest. More of a door really, that felt like the god was always standing just on the other side, like I could see the shadow under the edge of the door. I had opened the door before when it had been Malaal, but never for the undead God-King. So, I closed my eyes and tried to gently open the portal near my heart. I felt a surprising warmth spread through me from that center, an altogether different feeling than Malaal's icy hands that had come through groping, consuming. I heard a gasp and opened my eyes, to see she was staring at my chest, eyes wide, tears brimming her eyes. I looked down and saw my chest was glowing brightly, the individual letters almost visible under my clothes.

I nodded to her, "ok, go ahead." She took a step towards me and leaned in close, her body was almost touching mine, her lips whispered something almost inaudible. I felt the warmth and calmness that spread out through my body as her words seemed to pass right through me and I realized even though my physical body had heard them, I was unable to recall what they had been. She pulled back from me, searching my face for a reply. Then I felt the slow creep of joy, it felt sluggish, but was there, as if hearing someone say something from across a cavern.

"I think," I paused unsure, her face creased with worry, "no," starting again more sure this time, "he definitely heard you, and I think," I smiled, "he feels joy over it?" as I couldn't, for the life of me remember the question I searched her face to fine some explanation.

But she just returned my smile, nodding her obvious relief. "Thank you," she said and happily turned to leave.

I suddenly felt confused and exhausted, the light and the warmth fading, my small task complete it seemed. "Your welcome, I think." I whispered. Then limped over to the door and hauled myself up. "Hello?" I said to the darkness within.

"Hum?" Came a voice belonging to a young man, he leaned back in his chair where he'd been pouring over something at the pilot's seat. He blinked up at me, his dark hair brushed back, showing widow peaks and gaunt features. "Oh, are you the heretic we're getting to help with the case? Andromeda, right?" He seemed disinterested at best.

"Heretic? Yeah, I guess." Weird to have someone call you out like that. It felt like an ill-fitting suit.

"He gestured at the empty seats behind him and said, "well, pull up a chair. We leave in an hour." He then eyed me suspiciously as I hobbled, using the cane, to get to my seat, slowly letting myself slide into the seat then adjusting my hips so my leg jutted out into the pathway.

He frowned at me, then turned back to his reading, dismissing me from his thoughts.

My inner pest couldn't leave good enough alone though, so I started talking in a conversational tone to this kid. I wanted to see how much of a tool he was. By his opening statement of 'heretic' I was going to hazard a guess at being the whole tool box. Maybe the entire shed. "So, how long have you been an apprentice?" I asked.

He grunted, not even looking up. "Two years."

"Hum, not long at all. Are you his first? Has he been gentle with you so far?" I made that sound as inappropriate as possible. Hoping to get a rise out of him.

I was rewarded with a dirty look over his shoulder and a grumpy, "Why do you care? Not that it's any of your business, but I'm his third. He's very wise."

Oh, boy. This poor kid. He was really buying the imperial bullshit, hook, line, and sinker. "So your predecessors graduated to Inquisitors?" I continued to prod.

This made him turn, now thoroughly annoyed at my inquiry. "No. Only one did the other died. Because of that vagrant, Lockharte. That's why your here, and why your going to help us." He huffed, and then added, "Don't you have something you can do instead of bug me?."

I perked up at this. "Actually, since you asked, I'd love to look over some imperial personnel files if possible." He frowned suspiciously at me again.

"Why?" He let the word linger, pulling out the vowel sound to make an emphasis of the level of distrust he had for me. The idiot turned his back on me a moment before, and now he was distrustful of what I'd do with access to the data stream? Well, yeah, okay. One look at my file would tell anyone all they needed to know about my quick manipulation of data and coding abilities. Although it seemed to have not mentioned how skilled I was with my hands. Any of my enemies that I met in hand to hand could have told him that. And any of my lovers.

After a moment of consideration I thought to be candid with the little tot. "It's been a couple of centuries since I went under. I want to see who's still ali-" I cut myself off, or maybe it was that stupid lump in my throat that wouldn't go away. I rephrased the statement, "I'd like to see what became of my associates."

He seemed to not catch the alteration, or just didn't care. And looked over at something on his read out, seeming to confirm that it wasn't on the classified list of things for me; on the 'no-no' list as it were. Then with a grunt he reached out to me, hand palm up, "Give me that tablet." I handed it to him, and after a few moments of uploading info from his console he handed it back to me.

I went to reach for it, but my arm felt suddenly heavy with indecision, and I hesitated a moment, then quickly took it from him before I lost my nerve.

I looked at the darkened screen. I only had to touch the surface to make the backlight come on. But suddenly I felt like lead weights were bound to my hands, binding me from finding the truth of my comrades. Taking a shaky breath I touched the screen and scrolled through the names listed.

Lieutenant Jenson, Mark "Strongarm" - Deceased.

He had been like a brother to me; my older, meaner brother. Apparently he had died on the run a few days after the incident that changed everything at the tomb: the same day as my betrayal.

Mardukth, Civilian - Deceased.

He'd been my other adopted brother. The three of us had gotten so close, like a demented chaos family. Bound by the gods. And torn apart by them as well.

I sat for a moment after skipping a few names, gloved finger hovering over the glowing text:

Colonel Helios, Artimeisa - Deceased.

Another breath to steal the courage needed, then I touched it. Her face appeared on the tablet and I couldn't stop the sob from leaving my mouth. Her beautiful eyes sparked memories of our stormy fights, her lips frowning in the picture was the same mouth I'd kissed a thousand times. I looked up, pushing my fist into my lips, clenching my jaw, tears welling up in my eyes. I'd never kiss those lips, that neck, or any part of her again. I could hear her screaming in the background of my mind, the replay of her last moments with me. She'd been at my trial. I had begged for her to be spared. As I was dragged away she had screamed over the din of people clamoring, of the chanting of the priests. Her last words were, "I love you! Don't you fucking forget it!" I had yelled it back at her, but had felt it'd been lost in the chaos of the trial.

I breathed shakily, no matter the outcome, she was certainly dead now; I had to live with that. And now I was to hunt after the last of our motley band of rogues, murderers and thieves.

The God-King Emperor had promised me freedom from Malaal and protection from the other chaos gods. I just had to obey once He had decided what He wanted from me in return, and it was apparently time to pay up. I knew my job. And I wasn't going to shirk it. I wouldn't necessarily fight going back into cryo once it wall all said and done either, as long as I could do a few things first.

I gently wiped the tears from my face with a handkerchief that was only a little bit bloodstained. The blood had been from Helios' broken nose from a fight. I had taken it out and we had both laughed about how ineffectual it was at staunching the blood. I noticed the young apprentice looking at me, turned now in his seat, one arm slung over the back of the chair. A quizzical look on his face.

"You learn after enough tragedy," I paused letting the word hang with weight, "to let the tears come if they will." He seemed a little disgusted by the idea.

"They teach us to hold our emotions tightly, to not show what one might truly feel." He was thoughtful now, looking at the ceiling seeming to remember some lesson on the matter.

"Yeah, well, I guess I'm the criminal, so what do I know."

He seemed to agree and absently nodded. I tucked the small, now damp cloth back into my pocket and asked, "What's your name, kid." He looked back to me, pulled from his reminiscing. "Maddock."

After a moment he shrugged indifference and turned back to his reading and I turned the screen of my tablet off. The desire to torture myself having left. Plenty of time for that self-destructive behavior later. I thought ruefully to myself while tucking the tablet away in the folds of my jacket, and settled down for some internal checking of systems. I could maybe edit some of the code to compensate for the damage done to my mechanical parts. At best it would be a temporary solution.

About forty minutes later I heard some shouting coming from outside the small shuttle, drifting in from the open hatch.

I looked questioningly over at Maddock who shrugged in reply. We both looked over at the open hatch and it became clear that the shouting was at the female cryo-tech.

"Emperor smite you, women! I swear by His holy throne, if my apprentice is dead and the damned convict escaped I'll have your whole forsaken planet laid to waste!"

A female and a male's voice began to plead for forgiveness as the quick, long strides of the tall man, and the quicker pitter patter of the flustered tech's feet approached.

He quickly reached the shuttle and strode in, blaster in hand, a snarl across his lips. He paused as he took in the quiet scene before him. I was seated, relaxed in my chair, my cane resting between my knees, one leg stretched out into the walkway. The surprised looking apprentice gawking at his mentor, staring at the drawn weapon in his hands, from his place at the helm of the ship. The reports and literature he had been pouring over still up on the little screen.

A bemused smile tugged at the corner of my mouth that wasn't swollen. "You think if I'd known that killing the kid and taking the ship was on the table I would be halfway to a pleasure cruise by now." I said playfully.

He put his weapon away and snapped back, "Don't push me, heretic." There was that word again! Highly inappropriate, even if accurate. More like, 'Giver of very few shits".

He turned his wrath on the two cowering cryo techs, the older male was trying to stand bravely in front of the female. "You two idiots almost cost me everything."

"Please, she didn't know she was to take the prisoner to you directly and not to the shuttle. It was a misunderstanding." He said halfheartedly before his courage failed him.

"You're lucky and bloody stupid, and that's the extent of it." The Inquisitor raged.

"But she has been consecrated by the Emperor himself, with his holy mark upon her breast. She is trustworthy. A creature blessed by His Greatness." The women said placing a hand on her companion, squeezing her co-worker's arm reassuringly, while grabbing her necklace with the other, as if she could reason with this inquisitor. "She is, in herself divine."

Inquisitor Errold seemed incensed by this logic, but unable to find a way to properly verbally chide them, he turned instead to his apprentice, "And you!" Maddock seemed to wither and shrink into himself at the sudden attention, "Why are the comms off? I've been hailing you since this fool-women told me she brought the prisoner to my shuttle!"

"I-I-" He stammered, then continued, "I muted them." He said sheepishly. My eyebrows rose at that. If some fool pilot had done that to me while I was captain of my ship, heads would have literally rolled. "Oh you poor boy." I said under my breath, knowing the shit storm that was about to fly, and I wondered hopefully if I would be less of a target using my cane to hobble away to safety, as I eyed the exit. Or maybe I could just try leaping over the chairs to the door…

"You. Did. What?!" Incensed and obviously barely in control of his inner torment Inquisitor Errold bared down on the now quivering younger man. This kid was going to get a rough lesson in having a blase' attitude around high strung elders. I felt for him suddenly. I'd been there and I knew how much like a powder keg that could be. One moment an innocuous barrel, the next big-badda-booms. My time on Mars, in the college of the adeptus mechanicus had been brutal due to my stubborn unwillingness to bend under their tender 'tutelage'. Daily beatings to help me 'understand the horrors that befall those that walk not in light, but in the shadow of heresy'. Or so I was told repeatedly. However, I had just learned how to hate. And how to say what needed to be said to survive. That is until I was sent in a moment of desperation, to Regis Griswold: The only tech-priest more disliked than I was.

I sighed and heaved myself up with the use of the cane, I stood squarely in the way of the raging typhoon that was this Inquisitor. I leaned, both hands on the stick to keep from wobbling, and locked eyes with Errold, straightening myself as much as possible, my face stony, bracing for the pummeling I was about to receive. Better me than this poor waif of a kid, he was all skin and bones, and didn't look like he'd ever been on the receiving end of an asskicking. I however, had intimate knowledge of both ends. And knew how to protect my head and organs.

The Inquisitor walked right up to me, his face centimeters from mine, "Move aside," he growled.

"No." Came my implacable reply.

"I said move!" He shouted and raised his hand to backhand me. My nostrils flared with the anticipated pain, and I raised my head defiantly, my eyes daring him to strike me. His open hand turned to a fist as it paused in the air, then after a few moments of glaring at each other his hand slowly sunk, and I watched as he deflated.

He turned and shouted angerly at the two tech's, "get off my ship!" to which they hastily scampered out, and the Inquisitor waved tiredly at Maddock, "get us into orbit," and then he stumped to the back of the ship where there was a computer station and a cot. He sat at the computer station. And leaned on his desk with his elbows and placed his face in his hands as his apprentice obediently shut the shuttles door and began the launch sequence.

I had to command my shoulders to loosen, and my jaw to unclench. Trying to pry my body from the grips of adrenaline, telling it to stand down and that there wasn't anything to fight.

I let out the breath that had been trapped in my lungs. And limped stiffly over to Maddock and slid down into the seat next to him.

Once we were out of orbit and heading to the slightly bigger, fancier ship that must belong to the Inquisitor, Maddock leaned over to me and whispered, "thank you." I just nodded. Saying nothing more, he went back to the docking procedures.

The little shuttle shook slightly as the larger ship's computer took the helm and guided the smaller vessel into the tight bay.

I grunted at the rough hand-off and glanced over at the kid, leaning in and saying disgustedly, "when was the last time you adjusted the on-board flight system?"

He just blinked at me, "I- we don't. That's taken care of when we dock for repairs at a Inquisitor Headquarters."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, "Typical Imperials. The whole ship could come down around your ears and you'd say it wasn't your fault. Well, your not going to catch a slippery prey like Lockharte with barely functioning computer systems. He'll run circles around you."

Maddox puffed up a little at the derision in my tone, "This ship is some of the latest tech available."

"Aye, it's fancy enough." I said, quietly making note of my mentors inflection along with his very words, the memory of my childhood's lesson that day long ago, coming out of my mouth. "But if the code isn't smooth the hardware is useless." This said with a slight nod. How much of him was in me, I wondered. And wasn't he in the facility when I woke up? I shook my head. Echoes again playing tricks on me.

Maddock however, seemed to take in my words with a slight head tilt. He was a student through and through. I could see it as he sat and digested my sagely advice. I had said it with such surety. It must have triggered his Apt Pupil reflex. I chuckled at that knowledge, oh the trouble I could get him into abusing that quality. It was rare that such a thing wasn't beaten out of him in his younger years, I know it was in me, but I was just as a rare bird as the aforementioned Lockharte.

We jostled as the landing gear touched the floor of the hanger bay and I winced. It was like being back on my old marauder captain, Valentine's ship with his stupid pilot. Who treated the ship like a toy, using seat-of-his-pants flying techniques that had made me cringe in solidarity with the poor, overworked ship.

As soon as we touched metal landing feet to bay floor, Errold Stood up and strode to the door shouting over his shoulder. "Get the heretic to her room then take yourself to yours. I don't want to see you for the rest of the night." then after slamming his hand on the airlock button he strode out of sight.

I looked over at Maddock my eyebrows raised, "he always this moody?"

"I guess so. That what Tam said, anyway."

"Tam is the dead apprentice?"

"Yeah." He said that a little sadly as he finished the engine cool off procedure. Like being reminded of a brother that had been lost. Although I wanted to press him to figure out what was going on with the Inquisitor, I decided to take the gentler, more friendly approach. Absently I heard Mortimer, my other life partner, laughing at me. He'd have been amused by this gentle, even handed approach. Waking up in a cold criminal cryo facility, everyone you knew dead, could do that to a person.

"You were close then?" I pressed.

"Yeah." This was a little sullen as well. Showing his young age with the slightly petulant way his frown tilted and he punched the buttons a little harder. He stood finally while I was trying to figure out what to prod him about next, and he held out a hand to me, "Come on. Let's get you put away." The way he said it was kind, even though it sounded like I was a towel that needed to be folded and stowed. While I didn't need his hand to get up from the chair I took it anyway, not wanting to be rude while playing nice, and pulled myself up with a grunt of pain. I was beginning to suspect that the massive metal spine that had replaced my own bone hadn't weathered the trip to popsicle land well. I was starting to get swelling and serious pain.

I leaned on the cane and gritted my teeth, lumbering to the door. "You ok?"

He saw the grimace, huh? Sweet kid.

"Yeah, I'll be okay. I think some of my implants are in full on rebellion from the treatment they got from those cryo-tech's butchery of my reassembly. I also don't think they ever thought I was going to get popped out of sleep, so they were…" I paused, trying to be kind to the unkind treatment, "rough with the disassembly." It was the best I could manage.

But as I turned back to the exit, passing by the last few chairs on my way out, I took a double take at one of them. Griswold was sitting, looking up at me with a sad expression. He watched me pass by him. Long ruddy beard hanging out from under his optical Tech Priest mask. "Good luck, kiddo." He said in a gruff tone. I said nothing to him and finally broke my eyes away to look at the doorway.

Clearing my throat I stepped out, the shuttle bay and every surface I could see for that matter was immaculate. More of the Inquisitors corruption? It could manifest in bizarre ways; I had seen all sorts.

After a bit of thought, as we walked from the shuttle to the small room that was to be my quarters for the duration, Maddock said, "We are making to land at some hubs, maybe you could get looked at there?"

It was was nice of him to suggest, but I would have to figure out how to navigate the stormy waters of my new warden, the Inquisitor, first. I merely nodded in response, though, again trying to be polite.

I walked through the doorway of my little room and turned, "Hey listen," I said in a whisper as he made to leave. Pausing mid-step, he looked back at me, "Take some food with you." I said.

"Huh?" he looked confused.

"I got sent to my room all the time when I was an apprentice. Sometimes for weeks at a time. Grab some food really quick before you head to your quarters. You never know how long you'll be out of his good graces." He looked thoughtful at the advice.

"He wouldn't make me forgo dinner…" But as he said it, I could see the doubt spread across his face, as if he doubted his own words as he said them.

Dismissing this I continued, "And make sure they aren't perishable. Like the ration bars. You can hide them for later if you don't need them now." I gave him a reassuring smile and a gentle shove out of the room, "now get out of here before he finds something else to yell at you for." The dummy kid was growing on me, so I quickly shut the door on those rising emotions.

"No more fucking attachments, women!" I chided myself in a whisper when the door shut and I leaned against it, taking in the room. It had a cot with a pillow and blanket set at the foot, folded and laundered. A little chair was next to a sink, and a darkened doorway must be where the toilet was hiding. I dragged my body over to the bed and collapsed. I suddenly wanted to be back in cryo sleep. Echo dreams and all. At least I couldn't feel so tired when I was asleep.

Laying on my back, one leg still hanging off the side of the little cot, tears started to leak unbidden from the corners of my eyes. Trickling down my temples, over my ears and dripping on the mattress. I pulled the tablet out, Now for some of the self destructive behavior I promised myself. I tapped the screen and the backlight obediently lit up, showing me a stern Helios staring back out. "That's not you, baby. I know you." I said, memories of her laughter and how it made her blue eyes sparkle rushed up and overwhelmed me, my heart breaking. A sob jerked out of my mouth, tears blurring my vision. "I know your smile." I said, remembering how lovely she'd looked at our wedding, in her best military outfit. She'd smiled so widely I thought it would have split her face in two. I let the tablet drop and slide down my chest, holding the bridge of my nose, the tears that blurred my vision made my nose hurt more. The sobs made my head hurt, and I couldn't stop them now. They came up and out like hits to my gut.

I let my hands slide down my torso and rest on my hips. Something small and stiff was in my left jacket pocket. Sniffling, I reached in and pulled out a small nut. Like the kind you would use on the other end of a screw. After trying to wipe the wet from my eyes, I saw how it was average in every way. This ship probably had thousands just like it, the silver chain it hung on was more valuable then the simple steel the trinket was made out of. But this one was special. Mortimer had given one to me and one to Helios. One of his funny tech priest traditions that had endeared him to me. I must have taken it off at some point and put it in my pocket; or maybe some tech did. I smelled it. Knowing that the scent of machine oil was purely imagined. Long gone from the years resting in the cloth folds. But it still felt familiar. Like the gold ring on my finger. Reassuring in the darkness of the eternal night of space.

I felt the engines kick in, the Geller field switch on and the familiar lurch of the ship engaging it's warp drive, as I undid the clasp of the silver chain, and re-clasping it behind my neck, tucking the little piece of steel into my shirt and away from prying eyes.

I felt strangely better. Like I was armed with emotional wards. My tech priest training from Griswold, the gold wedding band back on my finger. The little steel nut that now hung around my neck. "I can do this," I whispered to the ghosts in my mind, "I can do this." But my stupid eyes wouldn't listen to my assurances and continued to leak.

* * *

I woke up to the ship jostling out of warp. It was pretty rough and now annoyed I decided to pull my bones out of bed and see about dressing down someone on behalf of the ship, for it had no voice of it's own.

My first go out of the bed wasn't successful. My spine wasn't in the mood for excess bending and my hip wasn't so happy either. I could feel the skin bruising under the soft velvet and shiny leather of my jacket, having fallen asleep in my clothes.

So I unceremoniously rolled out of the bed, my boots hit the wall as I flailed slightly. Then using the side of the bed from a kneeling position I said a brief string of curses and stood up, wobbled a little and reaching out, having to lean against the wall. I snatched the stupid cane from it's stupid resting place against the stupid wall and sink. And looked reproachfully at it. "I'm naming you Lorgar, because your a damned betrayer." I snarled at the cane. Lorgar had been the brother of Horas, who would go on later to be the Undead-King worshiped by the entire imperial host.

I slammed my hand on the door panel. The door made an 'error' noise and I frowned at it, glanced to the pad I had just smacked, and then back at the door and tried again. I more precisely touched it a second time but it beeped twice, again in an negative and not opening. I felt the growl raising in my throat, something feral. I had had just about enough of this crap. Between my body and its increasing pain, my hungry stomach growling, and the general beat down I had received the day before, I was one hundred percent done with today, this ship, the Inquisitor and just about everything that had happened up to this point.

I cast my gaze around the room. "Don't make me beg for food, you dick." My grip on the head of my cane tightened in frustration. "Okay, let's see if you just forgot about me," I snarled and gave the door a sharp "rap!" with the handle of my stick. I waited a moment. When nothing happened and no sound came, teeth gritted I gave the door a few more hard hits. The sound was satisfyingly loud, and I hope it would start giving the old man a headache as bad as mine.

After a few seconds of this furious banging, the door slid open and I had to not only keep myself from smacking the the young Maddock in the face but also not fall on him as I had been leaning on the door.

He was holding a tray with some food hastily arranged on it, and a bottle of water that was now rolling into the pinkish chow. The kid looked flustered and out of breath. But I wasn't interested in him or the food just now. I pushed right by him to his alarmed protests, sticking my head out of the door, and looking down the curved corridor that made a half circle around this side of the ship. Now where did I see that cockpit?

"Please! Um, Miss Tsin! Please, your not allowed in the main area, your confined to quarters only!" He was helplessly following me and yipping at my heels. I took a left out of the room, after hitting the button on the doorframe to make it shut behind me. Limping down the hall I snarled at the hurting of my body. Moving helped. Sort of. It kind of changed the pain to different areas, so I guess that was better. I passed the front of the ovoid ship, seeing the pilot and co-pilot's empty chairs.

I made a face at the room, I'll deal with you later, don't you worry.

Continuing down the hall a few feet, it opened up to the main meeting and social room of the ship. A big, circular room that had a step down in the center. There was a sitting area with benches and a table to one side and a lounge-like sitting space on the opposite side. A small platform in the center of the room looked suspiciously like a holo pad.

Inquisitor Errold was standing next to the dining table staring down at some translucent printouts. He sighed and looked up one finger still on the spot he'd been looking at.

"You disliked the food I suppose?" He said without looking up.

Was that joke?

"I'm so sorry, sir! She just barged by me." He sighed again pointedly looking up at his apprentice.

But I was on the warpath and wanted to get some things straightened out for this trip. "I didn't even know inquisitors did humor. I thought all that got removed to make room for the stick up their asses." I snarled back. "You can't lock me up." I continued on unperturbed by his annoyed expression as his eyes followed me closing the distance between us, "That's the first rule here. Speaking of rules," I waved at the cockpit, "Your going to let me update your bloody computers and I'll be the one flying from now on."

Errold, to his credit had obviously had his breakfast today and no one had spit in it yet. Considering I was sure he didn't get "told" to do anything by anyone, he took my words with a fair amount of grace and only an amused eyebrow raised.

"As amusing as it is that you think you have any say in any activity on this ship, I'm afraid you're confined to quarters." He said this as teacher would tell their recalcitrant toddler.

"I don't think you get it, Errold" I said the name like a swear word. "I don't give a fuck about you or your mission. As I see it, I have nothing everything to gain by not helping you, and you have everything to lose." His expression darkened, he was finally losing his temper.

"I can throw you back into that icebox hell. With all your metal parts still installed." He said that last bit with a little curl of his lip.

"No, actually you can't. See, I've been thinking about this little scenario. About the Emperor telling you to let me out: that's what happened isn't it. You got corrupted," I waved a hand at his body, "maybe before you fought Lockharte, or maybe because you fought him, but for some reason it's eating you up now. And so you prayed." His face turned to a scowl.

"Shut your mouth." He growled and reached for his blaster. But I had seen enough of him. There were lucid moments, like earlier in the shuttle, moments when the rage wasn't gripping his mind and soul with hate. I had to make him angry, then get him back to calm, as a sort of mirror. It was playing with fire, but I was used to this kind of thing. So I walked toward him, eyes locked with him. He pulled the blaster, but I didn't even flinch this time.

"No. Not this time. He didn't send you to thaw me out just to take down Lockharte." I carefully limped down the step and right up to his blaster, so it touched right against my chest. "He sent me for you."

Anger, rage, hate. It all flashed across his face, then, to my relief deep sadness replaced it. My little gambit had paid off. His eyes brimmed with tears, but he held them back, blinking in shame and anger at the weakness. "What makes you think," he said with a snarl, "you know why our Holy Emperor does anything."

I smiled sadly at him and placed my hand on the gun pushing down gently. "I've had some practice learning how to listening."

He let the weapon drop and holstered it while he wiped his eyes with his other hand.

"Grief does some crazy shit to us poor humans. Even Inquisitor humans." I said softly.

He took a breath and briskly said, "Go back to your room, we'll talk later."

"No." Again, I said this clearly and with authority. "I'm not your prisoner. If anything I'm as close to your peer as anyone can be." I knew I was pushing it by saying this, but I was sick of of the games and I was more sure of myself every moment. Pride had always been a challenge for me to keep in check.

He snorted at this, "By whose authority?" He asked.

"That stain on your soul and the Emperor, apparently." was my pithy reply.

"Humph." He said his eyes narrowing at me with suspicion then he shook his head. "I can't just have you running around the ship."

"Of course you can." I said tartly. "Listen, I want to be done here as much as the next person. Do you think there's anything here for me? Everyone I know," I stopped at the slip, "Everyone I knew are all gone." And I looked down for a moment, swallowing the pain of that. "Trust me, I'll take myself back to the cryotube when we're done." I looked back up at him,

"Maybe, or maybe your just waiting to escape."

"Hey now, I know I have a bad reputation but I have a job, like with a capital 'J' kind of Job. I don't fuck around with gods, Errold. And if the God-King says this is where I need to be, then this," I gestured at the ship around us, "All of this, is my job. That means, Maddock and Lockharte, and that means you, too." I said this last part with a small smile, ducking my head slightly while leaning on my cane. The pain was coming back now that the adrenaline was wearing off.

He just looked at me, studying me, my face, my body language, trying to see something more to my words. "I don't trust you. But…" he trailed off, "But you can walk around the ship as long as you have an escort," he nodded at the kid behind me.

I perked right up and my bruised face spread in a big smile. "Perfect!"

My sudden pleasure in his decision made him pause and furrow his brows in more suspicion.

"You hear that?" he said to Maddock standing behind me. "Watch her like a hawk."

"Y-yessir." He stammered.

I grinned at him and Maddock, "Oh! I'm going to have this ship purring! I can't wait to open up the hood, take a look inside her. I heard her groaning in as much pain and I'm in right now over your rough treatment of her while coming out of warp." I took a breath while glancing at the ceiling thinking about the pretty ship's internals and being able to sink into her data stream. I sat down at the table, slowly letting my stiff body down into the chair.

"I'm in the middle of someth-" The inquisitor said.

"I noticed. You can brief me on where we're heading to while I eat some breakfast," I motioned to Maddock, still holding the tray, and he scooted over to me and set it down. I smiled and said 'thank you'. I picked up the bread and began to smear some of the pick, lumpy stuff over it.

"Brief you?" Errold looked at my expectant face while I leaned back in the chair and took a bite of food. "I think I made it clear that I don't trust you with any of this." he tapped the table where the thin data plastic and some pads lay.

"And I told you I don't give a crap if you trusted a dog with a stake. Your briefing me in so I can tell you how dumb your plan is to catch Lockharte."

He snorted at my presumptuousness, "You think I'm going to just giv-"

"Look old man!" I dropped the chunk of bread back on the tray and gave my best death glare, "I'm not entirely sure how you thought this was going to go down, but you aren't going to squeeze me for anything. The only way to get into my very high-tech brain is through me." I leaned back and crossed my arms over my chest. Or my life mate, I thought ruefully. The thought had come into my mind unexpectedly before I could stop it, catching my off guard. My jaw stiffened as the image of my past lover flickered through before I could push it away. "Anyone else is dead, according to your apprentice at least."

Errold glared at Maddock and said, "so, you just gave her all that information as well as let her just charge out of that room?"

Maddock shrank away from his mentor and tried to look small. "She asked and it wasn't on the list of stuff we talked about." He looked uncomfortably at the food tray now in front of me. "And she's a little frightening with that cane." He swallowed as Errold growled in frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to push the anger back down.

"Fine. But I need to rethink some things before I 'brief' you on anything."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Your only prolonging the inevitable. I'm telling you, I need to have all the information going into this. Lockharte will use everything against us. I'm as close to a peer as he's ever met. It's why he took my betrayal the hardest I think. Although, I didn't really talk to the others…" Looking down at the bread sitting on the tray and picked it back up.

Errold cleaned up the table, picking up all the plastic and paper notes, anything I could read and wordlessly walked back behind one of the walls that made up the semi-circle hallways, I assumed to his bedroom.

Chewing a bite of bread I looked up at Maddock who was standing a little awkwardly, one hand on his other arm. Man, he looked like a little kid sometimes, but he must have been at least in his late teens, or early twenties. I motioned at a chair and said through a mouth of food, "Sit."

He sat obediently and clasped his hands in his lap. I swallowed and after taking a swig of water from the bottle provided I leaned forward, "So, tell me about yourself."

He seemed puzzled at first but quickly found his stride at my prodding questions. Not often asked about himself by others, he found himself eager to tell me all about the sad tale of how his mother died in childbirth with him. When questioned why he just shrugged and said that there was a lot of strife with the family regarding his birth. He told me about how he had attended schooling with the Adeptus Terra to become an member of the Administratum, basically an Imperial paper pusher. It seemed to suit him well enough, but he became ensorceled in some family issue that had him leaving on an adventure across the universe until his path crossed with Errold and Tam. The way he told it made it sound like he was in way to over his head and they showed up at just the moment. Tam had immediately bonded with the young desk-jockey turned heroic adventurer.

"He was always kind to me, teaching me a lot of what I know now." He smiled at the memory associated with the words, "He begged Errold to take me in under his wing, as it were. I mean, I wasn't sure this was the life I wanted, Tam just made the idea seem so…" He trailed off searching for the word.

"Exciting?" I hazarded.

"Maybe," he didn't look convinced that was the word. "Courageous, maybe? That always seemed to be the image he painted when he talked about being an inquisitor."

"Huh." I responded. "Seems like he was really trying to sell the life to you, although, I won't lie, you uh, don't seem to," I searched for the right, non-insulting word. "Have more of a scholarly aptitude." I finished hoping he wouldn't be offended.

But he only beamed at me in pleasure. "Do you really think so? I've always had a knack for remembering information, pulling up numbers and such."

"Oh yeah? You'd make a good tech-priest. That's basically all we do." I said laughing a little.

He chuckled with me, then looked a little mischievous, "Is it true that you pretended to be an Inquisitor?" He almost whispered this.

I smiled, "Is that what my file says?" I replied playfully.

"Yeah, that and you were an admiral of a fleet of ships devoted to the chaos gods." He sounded a little excited when he said it. Like this was his chance to ask a character in a book questions in person.

This brought a laugh out of me, "Oh man, they make it sound so much more glamorous than it actually was." I said and crossed my arms over my chest, still chuckling. "It was almost all spent trying to convince my brothers to play nice, convince my wife and husband to sleep with me, and trying to figure out how to write reports that sounded really boring to send back to Terra." I was pretty good at the last one." I said remembering how writing them was akin to watching paint dry. Who said you had to enjoy something to be good at it?

He looked thoughtfully, "Oh yeah, you were married. Wait, you said husband? There's no record of your second marriage." he said with confusion.

"Well, I married Helios, then the two of us brought this sweet coghead, Mortimer, into our marriage. He was smitten with us both and the three of us fit each other well." I let it hang there, and bit my lower lip to keep from letting the sadness tinge my voice. I don't think I caught it in time because he just sat there solemnly. "Anyway, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Being admiral was just a title, it was really just endless paperwork punctuated by trying to cajole so-and-so into not killing someone we needed. That or dealing with a bunch of angry department heads telling me how wrong I was doing everything."

He seemed to take this all in and digest it. Like he was committing it all to memory. "Did you really kill all those people?" He finally asked, giving me a serious look.

"Okay, this is going to sound bad, but which people are we talking about. Me and my brother's all got blamed for each other's messes all the time." I returned his stern expression with a calm pleasant one.

"Well, how about: how many people have you killed?" reforming his question.

The question was very opened ended. I had only, with my own hand, killed perhaps a few dozen individuals. Leaving the wanton murder for my more bloodthirsty peers like Lockharte, and my wife. Now there was a frightening women when she got going even by my standards, and I had faced down Malaal, more than once. Not having parameters to this question I decided it was best to give a vague answer.

"A lot." And after a moment I continued, "It's not that easy. We were at war, maybe the wrong side of war, but that's for the historians to sort out. I'll say this, there were deaths I wish didn't happen, and some that I was glad to see." I shrugged then, unable to make it more understandable then that. It's hard to explain the minutiae of something so big and complicated as war.

But to my surprise he nodded knowingly, "That's what my uncles would always say, two of them were enlisted, you see, that it was difficult to explain and that it's not quantifiable. And they said the part about some they wished hadn't died and being glad that certain people had." He looked sad then, "I always thought things were straightforward. If you kill an enemy to the Holy Imperial Empire then it was always okay. But, I guess I see now that it isn't that simple."

"Your telling me, kid." I said absently, nodding my head.

"Miss Tsin?" He said softly, leaning in closer to me and I raised an eyebrow in reply, leaning in slightly also arms still crossed over my chest. "Do you really think the inquisitor's been corrupted?" His face showing deep concern.

I leaned back and frowned. "Yes. I'm sure of it. I can... " I hesitated for a moment wondering if I should let him in on this, then continued, "I can kinda smell it, I guess."

His eyes widened, "You can smell it? What does corruption smell like?"

"I can't actually smell it!" I said rolling my eyes, "I mean, like, I just know it's there. It's a feeling. And I can only describe it in an abstract."

"Oh," he seemed disappointed by this. I just laughed at his innocence and he looked a little chagrined at me and chuckled too, "dumb, I know."

After a moment I got serious and shifted in my seat. "Listen, I'm not trying to get you in trouble, but I feel like if had a little info I could really blow this whole thing open." I said expanding my fingers apart.

He frowned at me and said finally, "I want to. And I believe in people wanting to make amends for their past actions. But if the inquisitor says 'no' then-" He shrugged, letting his unsaid words to the talking.

I waved a gloved hand at him in resignation and tried a different line, "Ok, so how about your medbay? My implants are killing me. I think I might be getting an infection." I tried to emphasis this by trying to stretch and wincing at the sudden stab through my hip and spine.

He looked at me with concern and nodded, "Yeah I can take you to medical. And I'll ask Errold if I can make you an appointment with the doctors at the space station we're heading too." He stood and gave me his hand again to help me up, I'm proud to say that I only hammed it up a little.

The medbay was well stocked, but I only had a rudimentary understanding of medical equipment and the chemicals in the realm there of.

I found myself missing, not for the first time, my old sword class ship that I'd managed to bamboozle the whole crew not only into thinking that I was the captain, but that I was a dreaded inquisitor. I missed having an entire hospital at my beck and call and the personnel to assist me for everything, up to and including a hangnail. It was hard being back to my humble beginnings.

With Maddock's help I picked out some pills for the pain and inflammation and a shot or two of antibiotic for the infection.

After that I decided to take a look at the engine of the little ship and see if I couldn't get my grubby hands on it's mainframe, "I don't think I can let you touch it, but you can look at it, I guess," he said uneasily, "Hey, before we go down may I," he paused, seeming unsure how to phrase his question, "may I, uh, call you Andromeda?" At my frown he hurriedly said, "It's fine if you don't want me to, Miss Tsin is fine."

Putting the shock away I cracked a smile and put a friendly hand on his shoulder, "Call me Andie, all my friends do." To which he smiled brilliantly back at me.

However, a traitorous voice in the back of my mind said, all the friends you betrayed you mean. I shook my head, still trying to smile and turned him from the room.

And so with that we headed to the underbelly of the ship.


	2. Chapter 2

****Author's note.**

 **I have edited this document for grammar, spelling and some extra content to help illustrate the character's motives.****

 **Chapter 2**

Errold sat in his chair at the little desk in his room, the data pads flung angerly under his the monitor. He knew there was truth to the heretic's words and now his last living apprentice knew of the stain on his soul. He couldn't kick the feeling that she was planning something. He had poured over her and her associate's records, reading up on any relevant data he could find when the Lockharte case had fallen on his desk. It had been the bane of the last few years and he had begun, even before Tamerin, his most promising apprentice had died, to wonder at the futility of it all. But after his death…

The thought lingered there, taunting his mind. The memories of ripping flesh and screams. Those bone chilling screams that will haunt him for a long time, if not the rest of his life.

When he had gone to Terra and prayed for guidance and resolution, at the giant, sprawling church of His Immortal Watch on Terra, he wasn't expecting the elderly priestess, flanked by two Adeptus Custodes, the personal guard of the God-King to come to him. They had made it clear that the Immortal God-Emperor himself had sent for the confused Inquisitor.

Errold rubbed his arm where under the sleeve was a deep, still-pink scar. He remembered following the guards and kneeling at His great palace, he had given the sacrament of body; a deep cut in his arm and several drops of blood into a golden chalice that was taken to a dais and poured into the sacred pools by one of the priests. Then, to his shock he had heard a booming voice, not with his ears, but with his mind. He had been tasked with a Sacred Order: to find the heretic Andromeda Tsin, and that he'd know her by the holy mark upon her chest. And that she would guide him to victory over evil.

Shaken deeply by this experience he had quickly taken his leave from that most holy of places. Later, after reading up on her and her chaotic bid to free the Chained God; a bid that had ended up with her whole group getting dispersed and eventually killed, he had thought the message had referred to her having valuable information in regards to Lockharte and the investigation. This outward evil of the body. That still might even be the case as well as now with her observations on his corruption, the evil from within, of mind and heart. He had heard that Gods tended to hit many birds with a single stone when able.

But to meet her he hadn't seen anything particularly holy about her at first. Her strangely strong connection to the gods both chaotic and goodly, had been unnerving, to be sure. But her observations, both just now and back on the planet, had been like shots to his heart, the words like bullets. Calling to the surface things he had been trying to keep submerged, knocking them loose and making it nigh impossible to ignore them.

He sighed, leaning back in the chair and letting his head fall back to the edge of the chair's seat, clasping his hands in his lap and reflected on those submerged feelings and thoughts.

He had suspected the ritual that turned his apprentice, Tamerin, into a hellspawn had also sent tendrils of corruption into him. It was a stupid mistake, the two of them falling into the trap laid by Lockharte. And the creature had been difficult to fell once it had clawed and ripped it's way from his apprentice's body. Errold had been injured quite badly in the process and the wound, three deep claw marks on his thigh, hadn't healed as well as hoped. It still pained him from time to time even though the clerics that had laid hands on him had assured him that the poison was gone. And ever since then he'd been unable to to keep his temper in check. Everything just seemed more; more irritating, more sensual, more beautiful and more vile.

The world seemed to come alive in new horrible ways, like waking from a peaceful dream to chaos. And the nightmares; waking covered in sweat, screaming. Or incredibly aroused and unable to satiate his desires. Food was both far to bland for him and to flavorful, turning to an overload of texture and taste. He didn't know how long he could go on like this, trying to pretend that he could will himself to overcome these feelings. He had recently decided that he'd confess to his fellow brothers and sisters in the inquisition, giving himself over to their tender mercies. It would almost certainly end in his long, drawn out death. But it would be a legal death. One that would be recorded as a benefit to the Empire.

But he could only do this after he'd found and killed Lockharte. Only after he'd bring this one last evil to justice.

He sighed heavily, rocking back in his chair and putting his feet up on the desk. That still left the question of how to deal with his prisoner. She seemed sincere enough, his Inquisitor training and years of learning to read people left him with the feeling that she seemed to believe her own words, even if she wasn't aware she was planning anything.

He stopped himself then at how crazy that sounded. Just how many of his thoughts were the fever-dreams of this corruption's paranoia slowly taking his soul, and how much was his true instincts that he'd learned to trust over the years.

He rubbed his face and realized he'd forgotten to shave. He'd forgotten to bathe and dress in clean clothes as well, his fingers moving down his shirt and open vest. It felt like everything was slowly slipping out of his grasping fingers. He felt he was close now to his own destruction.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The next day the little ship docked with the space station, Interstellar Five. A metropolis of people and places. Everything from massive shopping districts and restaurants that catered to the vast number of Imperial military and civilians passing through the sector. To the cultural and art districts with music and theater and even entertainment of the more physical, exotic variety. It even boasted a fairly impressive library and up and coming charter schools for technology and medicine.

"It says they have an excellent medical facility as well," I said hopefully, reading off the little advertisement loop that was sent to the main computer's display upon docking, as enticement to the new comers.

"None of that. You're staying on the ship, and in your room." He added that last part as an afterthought.

"Well, what business do you have down there, maybe I can do a quick scan and see if there-" I started hopefully.

"I said no!" He shouted, cutting me off. Then after a moment of composing himself he continued in a more level tone, "I have some leads that I need to follow up on, and I need to be sure that you are out of trouble while I'm away."

I gave him a disgruntled look, "I get it, let me rot in my own body. What do you care, right? Well, I'm not going to help you until you get me some fucking medical attention. Real medical people, who have experience with tech and cybernetic bodies. And," I added, "if I have to bust outta this ship, forge your name, and get myself that attention, then so help me I will. I won't let you treat me like some kind of caged pet, Errold," he met my eyes then, "I'm a damned person." I finished, glaring.

He took a long look at me, "I have an idea about that. After I make my meet, I'll make sure we get all this straightened out."

The way he said it was vague and sinister and I found myself a little worried about what he thought he was going to do with me.

He, however, seemed pleased by the fact I appeared taken aback by this and left the cockpit, throwing over his shoulder, "Maddock, get her put away and grab your stuff, we leave in five."

Maddock gave me an apologetic expression and motioned for me to go ahead of him. "Put me away! Did you hear that? Like I'm some stray laundry! Ooh! If we were on my ship and I was still captain…"

"But your not, and we aren't." He said ryley to me.

I let out a snort of indignation, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of being funny at my expense and, using the cane, limped over to my room. We had bonded quite a bit the day before and I found myself liking his awkward, scholarly way of looking at situations and problems. He had so little life experience, mostly just book-learned knowledge.

I sullenly entered my quarters and turned around to give him the most anguished, pathetic look possible. "Come one, Maddock." I tried.

He chuckled and put a hand on my shoulder, "I'm sure it'll be quick." He said, giving my shoulder a squeeze.

"Yeah," I replied, defeated feeling, "hey, um, listen." I took a moment, touching his hand on my shoulder with my own, "If anything happens, if it looks like it's going sideways, you call me. Okay? Let me know and I'll come get you guys out of trouble."

He looked shocked, then laughed amused by my words, "If you say so, but he's an inquisitor." He said that last word with a bounce of his eyebrows, as if that should instill me with implicit trust. Then, smiling, he said, "I'll see you later, Andie." Giving me a little wave on his way out.

"Yeah, sure, but he's still human." I replied to the now empty doorway and the closing metal door sliding shut. I looked down at the floor, at my booted feet and wiggled my toes. Disgusted by the day and being locked up again I kicked the boots off, undid my jacket and shirt, pulled off my pants and undergarments and pulled my hair free of the braid I'd put it in the day before.

I looked at myself from the only slightly larger bedroom to the bathroom and my reflection in the mirror, half in shadow in the dim light, I almost looked like my mother. Well, like what I remembered of her before she succumb to her drug addiction. The light from the space station filtering through the small window fell on caramel skin and long brown hair, but my father's hazel, almond eyes set in high cheekbones stared back at me in that half light.

I looked away from that unsettling image, the thought of being anything like my parents made bile rise in my throat. They had sold me into the mechanicus when I was a little girl for drug money as soon as I showed an aptitude for electronics. Needless to say, I'd never forgiven them for that.

"Might as well get a shower in." I said to the cane as I set it down and entered the little closet-like bathroom, "don't be jealous of this handle in here, Lorgar." I laughed trying to lighten my mood, and turned the faucet. While the water slid down my body I continued the dialog with my assistance device, the cane named Lorgar. "I know you and I have become quite intimate, wait, no! Not like that, Lor, get your mind out of the gutter!" And I giggled. "I'm just saying things are complicated for me right now, and sometimes I have to use other objects to lean on." I ducked under the water, then said while my eyes were shut and the water dribbled in my mouth, "It's not me, Lorgar. It's you!" I cackled at this and rinsed the soap I'd lathered on my body off.

I watched the suds swirl down the drain and gasped at a sudden feeling of not being alone, a cold tingle of chill that ran down my spine. An old familiar chill that sunk into my heart. I leaned against the wall in front of me with both hands, palms against the plastic, fingers outspread, eyes shut tight against the frost that slowly trickled in around the corners not only of my mind, but my body.

"No," I begged. "I killed you."

A dark laugh and the cold tendrils of darkness slid up my waist, my torso, my shoulders, my arms. Those slimy, freezing, rotting fingers caressing my skin. I shuttered as It laughed in my mind and ears. I could feel It's cold fetid breath on the back of my neck and my tears mixed with the now freezing water of the shower.

"You cannot betray the betrayer." It's slithering tongue lapped at my ear, "You are mine. You said the words. Your soul is marked."

"No!" I shouted, "I am in the God-Emperor's grace. I'm yours no longer!" I shrieked and whipped around, my arm slamming into the wall of the shower with an impressive crash. I stared into the evaporating darkness. Looking down at my fist and arm, a golden glow traveling up from my chest to my arm, the sacred words of golden light slowly pulsing on my chest, I heard It laughing still, but this time it was further away, as if pushed back.

"You are mine and everything you touch shall be mine, and I shall destroy it all. I shall savor your little inquisitor's death as I savored your lovers."

I screamed at the wall, tears, hot and real falling from my cheeks. And then I stood gasping, huffing as my eyes leaked and the cold dissipated. My thoughts came slow and agonizing, trying to pull them from the haze of anger and despair. I entered the main room, soaked and still dripping and made a double take at the bed. Standing next to it was Mark Jenson, his face smiling at me. He was in military fatigues and stood leaning with a devil-may-care air against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.

"Good girl, chasing off that evil shithead. Now, don't let what It gave you go to waste. Remember, It's working against Lockharte as well." he grinned that funny half grin, his blue eyes sparkling.

I felt confused. "Use it? How?" I asked.

Then the pieces started to put themselves together. "That's it, put it together, sis." he said. Lockharte. He was here, in the station. And that had been Malaal as good as telling me. The thought sickened me, but Mark, or his echo, was right.

I looked around the room. Now noting that there wasn't a hint of computers or any accessible interfacing equipment anywhere in the room.

And while I could plug into the system through the light fixture, it really wasn't made for that, and anyway, I had my tablet that had a wireless connection. All I really needed to connect to the AI of the ship.

Passing next to where Mark had been and now had disappeared. I gently slumped down on the bed and wiggled over to the wall to brace my back against it. I reached behind my head to the long, extendable cord at the base of my skull. I pulled it out and plugged it into the tablet and started to write some baseline coding script. Then built on that a few larger access portal programs meant to confuse the computer and if need-be overload it in an attempt to shut it down. While in shut down mode I could tamper more easily with the ships codes. It would force the engines to go offline, all thrusters and even gravity would stop. A system-wide full-stop. As the computer booted back up it would open access to my pre-written code and insertion programs. I'd have to read the unfamiliar code of the ship and edit my replacement chunks to match. I'd also only have a few seconds to do it, and I could only do it once as the system would lock me out if I tried to do it again. But I was confident in my abilities.

This type of infiltration was my bread and butter back in the day and I was at my best when writing stuff on the fly.

After about forty-five minutes of building a decent library of programs to assist me I connected to the ship's computer, but I did it through the docking router, giving it false codes of an approaching ship, the alert would throw the ship into confusion and off on a wild goose chase while I snuck into the mainframe of the computer.

As soon as I connected to the main computer it instantly started rebuffing me and giving me error codes. But I connected to all it's ports and began to bombard it with viruses, clumsy hacking programs and some general inquiries just for variety.

Right on schedule it detected the massive attack and an actual breach of the systems and promptly started a ship-wide shutdown.

I began to float off my bed as the gravity turned off and looped my leg under the metal cot to keep from floating away. And there I waited patiently in the dark of my room, like a sea creature hidden under the sand, lurking for its prey to swim over head and within pouncing range.

Again, just as I had predicted the ship started its reboot procedure. The hum of the ship's systems coming alive again and my little programs, lurking under the sand with me pounced from the tablet to the mainframe, wreaking havoc with the larger AI. Death by a million cuts.

Et tu, Inquisitor? Et tu?

I giggled. It felt good to be weaving in and out of the code again, keeping track of the two hundred or so programs each attacking different aspects of the computer's code. Since I was embedded in the computer like a tick, I felt it was time to take a much needed walk. I gently pushed myself up, floating into a standing position and waited a moment, and fell into a three point landing as the gravity came back on. So much chaos in such a short time, it was a shame that no one was around to see it.

I put on some pants and a shirt and walked up to the door, grabbing my stick and thought at the metal portal to open, my programs forcing the AI to obey my orders. Then I walked through the corridors right to where Maddock had shown me the engines and mainframe. All snuggled together. I unplugged from the tablet and directly into the mainframe and had a little conversation with her.

She was pleasant enough, if confused at the intrusion. But I quickly rewrote several books worth of code so she would allow me to fully access her.

"Sweetie," I said gently in the code, "I need you to give the docking personnel your Inquisitional codes so I can do a sweep of their computer's main frame.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry Andromeda Tsin, I can't allow that. I'd really like to help but only the Inquisitor can authorize those codes."

I frowned annoyed. I thought I'd just rewritten the code to account for that. Oh, interesting, I thought, There's the code, but what's this? There, in amongst the code was something new that'd I'd never seen before. In all my time of pretending to be an inquisitor and having to learn and alter various system's code on the fly to resemble a real inquisitor's rosetta, I had never encountered this anti-infiltration program.

This new, self contained piece of code was nestled into the old, familiar code.

"Well, hello there, little buddy. What's your name?" I asked it.

"I am the Andromeda Initiative. I protect this ship from fake inquisitors." My heart nearly did a somersault at its precious little readout. They named a piece of code after me? I felt color and heat raise in my cheeks and ears from the blush that rose up my body. What a shame I have to cut your adorable little head off your sweet little shoulders, I thought.

I isolated it's parameters with fair ease now that I had the whole ship assisting me instead of just the little tablet. I had named him Tiny Trusty. Feeling fond now of the little fella, he'd been such a champ through this.

"Ok, Andromeda Initiative, come out, little guy, I have detected a breach."

"I don't detect anything. Wait, what's that?"

"I don't know, little buddy, you better check it out."

"Yes, I will do this. Funny, there's nothing ou-czzzzt"

"Poor little guy. Rest in peace, kiddo. Okay, beautiful, think you can send those Inquisitor codes now?" I asked the mainframe.

There was a pause, then, "Authorization accepted, Inquisitor Andromeda. Sending request. Request received. Please wait." After a moment she chimed in, "Codes have been accepted. The data stream is open, Inquisitor."

"Damn right it is, you gorgeous program." And I sunk into the massive data stream.

It was far to vast, though, and even though I parsed pieces of the AI, after naming her Goldie, to go fishing for me it seemed like a needle in a haystack.

Then I struck gold. There he was. Caught on camera red handed, the drug-addled fiend. I knew he wouldn't be able to stay away from the medical facilities and all the chemicals it promised, and my hunch had paid off.

It was just a glimpse through the reflection of a glass wall, but I'd recognize that renegade anywhere. It even looked like he glanced up at me through the camera on purpose. Now that I had a picture, I cleaned it up and sent it off to the head of security with an 'URGENT!' And the mark of the inquisitor like a little care package of 'fuck you' to Lockharte.

I got a little flag back saying they were uploading it to a station-wide manhunt and an evil smile spread across my broken lips. The hunt was on and it was only a matter of time before my pray would step out and be seen. He worked best when his anonymity was secure and now I'd really fluffed that for him.

My heart pounded with the chase as my little programs and me searched for him, combing through huge packets of data.

"Come on, I know your in here somewhere."

Then another hunch paid off as a brothel lit up with a hit. This one recent, this morning. He had checked out though. Damn. I thought, He's so close.

I decided to look up Errolds movements now, since I was hitting a dead end with my search. The inquisitor, unlike Lockharte, was not interested in hiding from the cameras, and I doubted he gave much thought to erasing his passage from the systems. As I thought, his path through the station had been fairly easy to follow. He had met up with a blind, older man, his ID when I pulled it up said he was an astropath. And the three of them, Maddock in tow, started for another part of Interstellar Five. Then their path suddenly stopped. I searched all the corridors, but Errold, the astropath and Maddock were gone form the station it looked. But that's impossible, no one just disappears.

They had stopped being visible on section fourteen security cameras on the outer ring. That was an undeveloped part of the station. That fact tugged at my mind while I tried to bring up any feeds, they all seemed to be down. A sinking feeling started in my stomach. If I was a tech-priest, with lots of implants, able to live for a very long time without air, an abandoned outer ring of a space station would be the perfect place to set up an evil lair. If anything goes wrong, just space everything.

"Goldie! Undock yourself!"

"Acknowledged, sending out request."

I felt panic rise up in my stomach, and my chest ached, my skin crawling as the emblazoned sacred writings of my new god writhed in warning over my skin. "Now, Goldie, do it now!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Errold had met up with Lenny, an old friend and astro-boy. They had chatted briefly about old war stories, and Lenny had laughed at Maddock's funny, innocent nature, commenting that the apprentice was an odd choice for the Inquisitor.

In no time at all the old astropath was telling a rousing story about Errold's own apprenticeship; as Lenny had been serving under that Inquisitor as a young man himself. An amusing tale regarding a red-headed beauty and how smitten Errold's younger self had been with her.

"Well, I'll tell you what. When Inquisitor Abernath found those love letters…" Lenny whistled at the memory of his master's ire. "I can say this: I've never see Theo, here, run so fast in his bloody life." He shook his head laughing. Even Errold had cracked a smile at this.

"Whatever became of her?" asked a wide-eyed Maddock, who was still trying to picture his stern mentor as "giggling" and "smitten".

The blind Astropath's eyebrow's rose at that question, his white eyes seeing the memories of times long past, and he gave a wicked smile and winked in Errold's direction.

Errold shrugged, leaning back in his seat, one arm crossed over his chest, the fingers on his other hand resting on his lips, now persed. "I suppose she's married and has a family."

"You never checked?" The young apprentice pressed.

"Leave it be, son." Lenny said gently. "It's been years. My fault, really. I shouldn't bring up the past and the ghost's that live there."

Maddock, while sad that his curiosity had been rebuffed, now looked out over the little shop they were sat, lost momentarily in the romantic notion of being an enamored young apprentice sending love letters to a special someone.

Errold rolled his eyes at his apprentice, then taking the lull in conversation, leaned in and asked in a more hushed tone over the tea they head been drinking, "Len, have you read the reports I sent to you?"

"Aye," Lenny said slowly, "I have. What about this tech-priest's got y'all ina tizzy. Just have the station go on high alert and smoke 'em out." he nodded at this obvious solution.

"It's not that simple, Len. He's killed hundreds for less. I can't risk it, so we've got to go in secret, under the radar. I need your help, though." Errold paused then continued, "On this mark and..." he licked his lips, "and a heretic I've got on my ship. I need you to scan her for me. Like the old days."

Len leaned back in his seat. His white eyes scanning something unseen. "Theo, I gave that all up."

"I know. But your the best psyker I know. Just this once. Please."

"Yeah yeah, it's always 'just this once'. Until it's _not,_ and there you are, asking me again."

"Look," Errold rubbed his face, then looked over at Maddock, "Git outta here. Stand by the door and we'll be around in a minute." Maddock, torn from his romantic fantasies straightened in his seat and scowled in frustration at being told to just leave. But he stood obediently, taking his slight frame to the exit of the little cafe, resentfully crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the door jam out of earshot.

"I'll be honest with you, my old friend. This is my last case. I'm gonna retire after this, so I promise that this really is the last time I'll ask."

Len's eye's narrowed as he took that in. "Huh. Funny, last time I checked Inquisitors don't 'retire', there Theodore." After a sigh and a non-committal grunt from the Inquisitor, the old Astropath took a moment of reflection, "Unless…" He stopped, leaning forward. "Errold, what's your game."

"No game, Lennard." Errold said simply.

The two old men sat for a moment in silence on opposite sides of the table, lost in thought. Then Len stood up, seeming to come to a decision. "Well, let's go find your fugitive tech-priest." Errold who seemed surprised that his old friend had actually accepted stood as well. "And afterwards we can finish this conversation and have a talk about that heretic you've got stashed on your ship."

The group made their way to the outer rings of the station. This area was completely deserted and had been left in a state of residual massive construction. White tarps and signs of caution, warning of the dangers within hung over the doorways. Errold unholstered his blaster and nodded for Maddock to do the same.

Maddock leaned over to Lenny and his empty hands, "Do you have any weapons?"

The old psyker laughed and pointed to his blind eyes, smiling. "Don't think I could hit anything even if I did." Maddock looked chagrined and nodded then realized Lenny couldn't see the nod and started saying his affirmative out loud but was cut off.

"Hush, you two," Errold whispered over his shoulder as he approached the first plastic cloth and pushed it gently aside, passing underneath it. He searched for any trap-like devices, but wasn't able to find any. Very suspicious, he thought, his brow furling. Especially since this prey loved to pepper his lair with traps and dead ends. He may not have been here long enough, was the only thing that Errold could come up with as he walked through the hall.

They made their way to a 'T' intersection, where the hall to the station met the outer ring proper. A glass window looking out to space stretching the length of the hall in both directions faced them.

Errold looked at Lenny. "Anything?" He asked.

Lenny's face screwed up and he pointed down one of the halls, "Something that way, but it could be anything, I really can't tell from here." Errold started walking in the direction indicated. They passed empty, waist high shipping crates and abandoned and broken moving equipment. The group carefully moved past areas that looked like they had been on fire a long time ago. Vermin skittered from shadow to shadow as Errold and Maddock's flashlights shined into darkened rooms and corners.

They checked each abandoned storefront and place of residence, gently moving the plastic aside to peek or slide inside and back out. Most were just open rooms, nothing inside them but crates and dust.

Lenny had been following them silently, his head tilted to one side as if he were listening to something. He walked in the other two men's footsteps, Maddock noted, as if he could see the them as they moved from doorway to crate, and wondered if it were his psychic abilities that allowed him to do so.

After about ten tense minutes of quietly searching further into the station's outer ring, Lenny whispered behind them, nearly sending Maddock out of his skin with the shock of sound cutting through the air, "Up ahead. Four, maybe five. They must be cogheads because it's hard to get a read on them."

Errold nodded and motioned for his apprentice to follow and the three inched closer, rounded a corner then saw a little teardrop shaped shuttle sitting on a round metal pedestal, it's top opened as if ready to go at a moment's notice. They passed it and continued down the large hallway. The lack of debris and dust made it obvious that they had found what they were looking for.

"Up and to the right," Lenny breathed to them softly.

Soon Errold heard a sound: fingers on a keyboard, and soft talking. He whipped around a corner but frowned as there was nothing there. Something made a 'thump' noise and a grenade seemed to just appear from a wall and roll along the floor towards them. It clicked and started to expel some gas. Errold and Maddock scattered just in time for blaster fire to come out of the wall as well. The energy of the blasters sending flickers through the hologram of a wall that was projected along a hallway.

Errold returned fire and must have hit the holo-generator because the image flickered. Lenny who hadn't moved when the firefight started, now waved his hand and shouted, teeth bared. The gravity rose up and then dropped in the little area as he used his Psyker's abilities to shoot two white-hot lances at the now scrambling tech-priests that had been hiding behind the wall. Two more figures appeared around the corner up ahead, one dressed in the reds of a Tech-Priest, it's form hulking in the enclosed space. He pulled a wicked looking vibro-sword out as he approached. The other a slender women with flex-armor and a helmet pulled her blaster and took a few pot shots from the hip.

Maddock ducked behind one of the large, metal and concrete columns that lined the middle of the hallway, firing off a few rounds from his blaster as cover fire.

Lenny's psychic bolts hit one of the priests and the red robbed cyborg fell to the floor, dead. He then reached up into the ether-made-form above his head, balled his hand in a fist then pulled it down sharply, sending a wave of force, crackling with energy out in front of him, knocking two of the three priests who had been in the once-hidden hallway down.

The third, who Errold now saw was Lockharte, cackled wildly and threw two more grenades into the call, they clicked and began to spew gas as well.

The air was getting thick now. Errold took two more shots this time at the female, but it was Maddock's shot that hit her right in the chest, leaving a gaping wound in the center.

One of the priests on the floor recovered enough to take a shot at Lenny, who turned his head in that direction and reached for it, it's energy flickering then dissipating until it winked from existence. But a second shot from the laughing Lockharte, who was still standing got Lenny in his head, ripping the skin from the side of his face and shattering bone.

Even though the gas was overwhelming, Errold, seeing his friend fall to a headshot, shouted a curse and took aim. He fired a few more shots towards the madman, then holding his breath he made a run at him, Maddock seeing this gave cover fire, but was hit on the arm and shouted in pain, the sudden intake of breath causing him to feel woozy.

Errold felt weak in the knees, fired once more this time grazing Lockhartes arm, and then slumped to a sitting position. Only having made it to one of the columns in the center of the hall, he fell back now, leaning against the support pillar.

The four remaining priests converged on him. How had he been so stupid? How had he failed again? Were his last thoughts. Then out of the corner of his eyes, his body going limp and unable to respond to the desperate calls he sent his limbs, he saw a flash of blue crackle. Lenny, in a last ditch effort had smited the larger, more hulking priest. The big body letting out a digital sound of anguish slumped over.

Like a taunting mirage, Lockharte, a gleeful cackle coming from his tech-priest mask, turned from the blue light as one of the other priest's punched the Astropath, to Errold, "Oh such fun we'll have, you and I."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Cursing at the ship's insistence that we couldn't undock without the proper protocols, I told her to meet up with me as soon as she had. I unplugged and started limping, leaving my cane by the engine, I must have looked like an utter fool, almost skipping through the ship, in an attempt to drag my useless leg with me. I stopped at the arsonal that Goldie had kindly opened for me and spotted immediately my knife and my sword, hanging by their scabbard and sheath. I picked both of them up and strapped the knife to my thigh and the sword to my back. Next to where they had been resting was the bag of my body armor and other things that Errold had not wanted me to have. Not wanting to be to laden down I only put on the gloves and Gauntlets, their gold reticulated engravings glinting up my arms and over my elbows, in the fluorescent light. And the boots with their matching gold metal work that twisted up my calf, to my thigh. The knee's on them were scuffed from having to kneel at my trial, the gold plating chipped by the white marble of the palace it had taken place in. There were a few other odds and ends in the bad including my Inquisitorial Rosette. It was scratched, it's surface marred by my repeated attempts to force it to register to me. I had finally been successful in the end, but at some cost. I put the string of beads around my neck. _Old habits die hard, I guess._ I thought ruefully, feeling it's reassuring surface.

"You sure about this, sis?" I looked over at Mark standing in the doorway now.

As I stuffed the rest of the armor back in the bag, rolling my eyes I said tersely, "Which part."

He laughed, "All of it. Just sit on the ship a little longer. Lockharte will have his way, and your Inquisitor will be dead. And you," he paused, that little half smile playing on his lips. "Will be free."

"While I get that you have a history of backstabbing people who don't necessarily deserve it. I thought you were pro hunting down Lockharte." I stood up and grabbed a harpoon-like grappling gun from Errold's personal collection, and strapping another holster to my hip, wrapping the strap around my thigh, slid the weapon into it and grabbed a single stun grenade. I pushed passed him on my way out and limped down the hall.

"Sis." His voice trailing after me, "I'm an echo, remember? I want what you want." I gritted my teeth at his words and trotted to the little ship's docking bay. I passed the shuttle, still docked and strapped in tight. Inside a small compartment to the side of the shuttle was a few mini, portable rebreathers, I grabbed one and continued through the small space to the exit. Goldie opened it for me as I approached and I passing through, glancing around, trying to find someone who worked in the area. I spotting a dock worker lounging next to a terminal and I shouted at him.

He had been chatting to someone on his arm communicator and glanced up annoyed at the rude interruption, then his eyes bulged as they came to rest on me. Between the piece-mail armor, my half open shirt with the Rosette bouncing from my neck over the glowing text that spiraled, golden, from the center where my heart lay under the skin, along with my blades and nasty looking grappling gun must have been quite the sight. My hair wasn't even dry yet and hung in loose rings around my face and shoulders.

"Y-yes ma'am?" The dock worker said in surprise, straightening as I descended on him.

"Security. Call them now." I commanded sharply in my best Inquisitor growl, "Tell them I need to get up to Sector fourteen, outer ring, section D."

He looked alarmed, "Yes, Inquisitor Ma'am," he choked and hung up his call with the chatty female on the other line. Then made a call to security.

I didn't wait around, I just started jogging down the platform to the main waiting area trying to ignore the shooting pain; my booted feet making an uneven, but satisfying, 'thump, thump'. By the time I got there, several security personnel were there waiting for me, one of them stepped forward to greet me.

"Inquisitor ma'am. I'm Security Captain Reginold. I was the one who circulated your flyers."

I nodded to him and grabbed his arm turning him, "We need to get to Sector fourteen. This is urgent, my fellow inquisitor needs backup apprehending the heretic I sent you a photo of." But damn, if I didn't even sound convincing even to myself.

He puffed up proudly having been so candidly in on such an important situation. "I'll help anyway I can, Inquisitor." He motioned for one of his men to grab one of their indoor skiffs. Kind of a topless ground vehicle that hovered along at a nice clip, but still had fair handling in the low gravity; perfect for getting around the massive structure that was Interstellar Five. A group of about a dozen of the captain's security force jumped into similar cars to follow us, they were armed with stun weapons and the like.

"You should buckle in, ma'am, the flight might be dangerous." He said and pointed to the restraint device.

I leveled him with a stony, unflinching gaze. "I don't think I need to tell you not to crash and kill an inquisitor."

He paled at that and looking terrified, started the engines and we sped up and into the grand sweeping lofts of the space station. The ride was a little bumpy as the massive wind turbines pumped the air at this height like great lungs. The gravity was a little manic also, going in and out, I had to hold on to the little windshield and the seat of the skiff, growling at every bump that jostled my cybernetics and the discomfort passing through them.

Within a few seconds of this wildly fast run we finally approached what I recognized as the upper rings of the station. Where each ring had its own micro atmosphere and was almost completely separate from the rest of the station.

"Section D, right Ma'am?" He asked pulling up along one of the open decks. "Its desolate up here, but I guess that'd be a good place to hide, if you were on the lamb." I rolled my eyes at the gumshoe and jumped from the car. Walking right up to the closest hall. The captain pulled his blaster and signaled for everyone to scatter in teams. "Spread out, we're gonna give the Inquisitor some back up."

I started jogging along the corridor, scanning the walls for any traps. But other then some trip lasers there was nothing. I pointed them out to the security behind me, then stopped and held up my hand in the 'quiet' and 'stop' hand signal and motioned for them to stay.

I had heard voices and I was sure one of them was Lockharte's tenor.

I peeked around the corner and saw two other tech-priest with blasters looking on as a laughing Lockharte stood, lording over Errold who was bound on the floor, glaring daggers up at the menacing tech-priest, blood trickled from a cut on his head. Maddock and the astro path were unconscious on the floor, the astropaths looked gray and there was a fair amount of blood pooling under him. Although bordering on comically evil, I noted the jagged laughter was a tell tale sign of his relief at finally being rid of this inquisitor.

"Ooh, yes. I'm so excited for you to enjoy this new batch of deliciousness I've cook up. It's perfect for the subject being aware, but not being able to move." He giggled.

I rounded the corner and walked right down the middle of the hall. The windows to space to my left. I could see Errolds eyes catch sight of me and widen and I took out the stun grenade.

"You know," Lockharte continued, "you should be happy, there's a slew of people who'd give their teeth for some of this stuff." He paused over Errold and back handed him, "Ungrateful! Well, I'll-"

Then I went from a walk to a run, throwing the grenade at the two hulking tech-priests. The thing detonated with a "Boom" sending out spiraling electricity, the two of them shouted in pain as they were stunned momentarily. I pulled my knife from its place on my hip: a gift from my wife. And the sword from my back: a gift from my brother, Mark. Her daemon spirit crooning that it had missed my touch and the blood we had spilled together. Then I jumped the tech-priest nearest me, he shouted a string of binary, in the middle of getting up, as I sliced up into his torso with the knife; with the sword slicing his neck, taking his head off.

His body slumping to the floor, blood pooling, Lockharte turned and his mouth opened in shock at me. My face contorted with rage and I lept to the second guard right as the security team rounded the corner and opened fire.

Lockharte still in shock watched as I took a shot to the leg so I could close the distance to the panicked, hapless guard.

"Should have aimed higher," I growled as I sunk my knife in his belly three quick times, then, turning I let the blade of the sword snap out behind me, it's wicked metal lengthening, the iridescent daemon laughing gleefully as her tip shot towards Lockharte's head.

He jumped to the side, barely avoiding the blade. Snarling now, he took off at a run down the hall, pulling out a blaster of his own along with a small metal stick that had something red on the end.

My gut wrenched at what it could be, and I yelled at the station security to help me get the unconscious bodies out to the hover cars.

They grabbed Maddock and the astropath as I took off at a dead run after Lockharte, sheathing my sword so I could run faster. His tech was going to be better than mine but I had to try.

Running down the corridor I spotted him. He had a little teardrop-shaped pod that he was already in and closing the top of, it's little engines firing up in the enclosed space, the area in front of him had a little pile of explosives in front of it.

We locked eyes and I felt something sink to the pit of my stomach, the rage and anger fading from me as I realized I was trying to hunt a person who had been one of my closest friends. I sheathed my knife and he gave me a little nod of comradely as he closed the hatch, and I backpedaled as fast as I could.

The explosion was deafening and the roar of rushing air blocked all else from being heard as the air was being sucked out the now giant hole in Section D's ring. I was thrown forward by the initial blast into a support column, then felt myself being pulled back towards the hole. I grabbed the large column and barely hung on, and then I saw Errold's limp form slide past me, the two security guards had let him go to hold on to hardpoints they'd managed to find in the chaos.

I reached out for Errold's fluttering coat as it passed, but just missed it. I said a curse and took a few quick breaths to flood my system with oxygen, than taking one giant breath I let go and actually pushed off the column. Letting myself hurtle towards the Inquisitor. He was already out the hole and floating. I just hoped my trajectory was good.

I zoomed out of the hole, turning slightly, like a torpedo hurtling towards my target and reached for Errold's arm as I passed him, catching the sleeve. I pulled him close to me and, looking into his bright blue eyes, now frosting over with cold, I squeezed him close and told my systems to fire up my internals, so I would became a space heater of sorts. I also took out the portable rebreather and looped it behind one ear and over his nose and mouth, where it clung, flooding him with air. I then unholstered the grappling hook and shot it at an angle to the left of us without braking that eye contact with him.

The hook caught and held onto its target which was the welcoming shape of the inquisitor's ship. The little mechanism of the grapple began to turn as we drifted to the shadow of Goldie, her form eclipsed the light of the station as the grapple reeled us into her. She lovingly swallowed us up into her warm body. The door closed behind us and gravity gently reengaged as air and warmth filled the cabin again. We landed gently on the ground, him touching down first. Still hugging him tightly, I gently rested on top of him, and said with a little smile, "it's cold out there, next time you go for a space walk, take a jacket, huh?"

I then pulled his arms in close and rubbed them and his torso as my body fired up a good fever and warmed him. I put a hand over his forehead, and slid over his body, covering as much surface as possible. I could feel his cold skin warming as we lay there. His eyes blinked under the heat of my hand as I whispered softly to him, "Shh, now. Don't worry. I'll take care of everything. Just take it easy, now," I said while my other hand rubbed his arm, hands and torso. "It's the best way to deal with one of Lockhartes drugs." And I gave a little, knowing smile.

"Goldie, take us back to docking." The computer gave a little chirp of acknowledgement. I could feel the thrusters start to burn the fuel needed to get us there. The vibrations of this reverberating through the floor. Errold just looked at me, unable to speak. When his flesh had started to regain color I stood up, "Let's get you into bed," I said with a grunt and lifted him up into my arms and carried him to his quarters.

I gently rested him down on the bed and took off his boots and belt, holster and gun, cloak and the rest of his clothes. I ran quickly to the medical area of the ship and found some gel meant to help treat severe burns from cold or hot and rushed back to his quarters. I rubbed the clear gel over his skin. And then laid in the bed with him after undressing down to my shirt and pants, pulling the blankets up over us and again spreading out over his body, my form acting as a massive heater, radiating out over his chilled skin. I rested my head on his chest and wrapped his arm around me, putting his other hand on his chest and covering it with my own.

"You know," I said softly to his chest, "now's as good of a time as any to do some real grieving for your apprentice Tam." I lifted my head to look at him, "Grief is the easiest way for the corruption to take over and spread. Grief, and fear that is." I added and rested my head back down on his chest nuzzling him slightly, breathing in his scent. "Just saying."

All that he was able to express, trapped as he was in his body, were the traitorous tears that leaked from the corners of his eyes, slipping down his temple to the pillow under his head.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

A few hours later Errold awoke sore and maddeningly aroused, but otherwise unharmed. A slight headache pinched at the back of his mind, however the gel had done its job nicely; absorbing into the skin and muscle and soothing all the way down to his bones.

Andromeda's body was still spread over his, the weight and pressure of another human's touch, he was reluctant to admit, pleasant to wake up to. He tested his limbs, moving his feet and the arm that had been wrapped around her very warm body. Tightening it as he flexed his muscles and lifting his head.

She stirred and shifted slightly looking up at him sleepily, her leg that had been slung over his pelvic area brushed the stiffness there and her eyebrows rose slightly, a smile spreading across her lips.

The inquisitor took a moment and tried and articulate how he wished her to leave his side immediately before his body got the better of him, and he'd give in to its insistent need. His face heavy with desire, he looked down at her green and brown eyes that stared up at him with a teasing expression. Her hand that had been on his chest now moving slowly over and down to his side. As it moved, the warmth of her palm making his skin ignite with pleasure, he tried again to fight down the growing want that seemed to block all reasoned thought from his mind, as if he were a young man again in the grips of a hormone induced lust.

He rolled over to face her, and cupping her chin in his hand he said sternly. "You need to leave. Now."

She smirked at this and replied in a teasing voice, "Why?" Her refusal to acknowledge even the simplest commands was infuriating, although at this moment it wasn't rage that had taken hold of his soul. Her obstinate nature only making the fight within him more difficult, the fact that her teasing, easy demeanor only made his desire more palpable frustrated and confused him; as he'd always been able to make logical sense of his feelings up until now.

"We- I can't." He stammered, his lips near hers, their faces touching. It took every ounce of will to keep himself from ravishing her.

"It helps. Human contact. Helps to satiate the darkness." She said, now pulling his torso closer to her prone form.

Then, losing the internal battle he kissed her, pulling her in close. She grunted and winced in pain as his embrace lifted her up, putting pressure on her spine. Pulled from his momentary lapse in will power he let go of her and sat up, shocked out of the fog by it.

"It's fine, don't stop." She said, trying to pull him back down to her, but the spell was broken enough for him to sit up and away from her, throwing his legs of the edge of the bed and rubbing his face; willing the desire back down.

Andromeda sighed and lay back on the bed. "Suit yourself." she said, although her words were dismissive he detected a bite to them. Of annoyance perhaps? "Listen," She said after a moment of watching his internal struggle. "The corruption stirs all that shit up. Everything you've spent your whole life pushing down? Yeah. It just takes a stick and swirls it around and dredges all that up. And makes it so you can't look away from it anymore. It'll make you go mad if you ignore it and don't face it head on."

He turned to look at her, "You always sound so sure of yourself. Like you just know everything there is about the demonic taint on a humans soul. What makes you think you know more about this then I do. I've spent my whole life fighting it, destroying it."

She looked introspective at the question, "Errold, you just- I don't know…" She collected her thoughts, trying to make sense of her life and the perspective it gave her. "You treat corruption like a weed. You think only that it will choke out the other plants in the garden. And while yes, sometimes it gets out of control, it's also medicinal. It strengthens the soul that houses it, if the soul is strong enough to use it as a tool. Trust me, I've seen my fair share of it gone badly, ruining everything worth saving around it. But I've also seen it do good, as messed up as that sounds."

Errold scoffed at this, "There is no _good_ in this."

"That's the Empires rhetoric talking," she said and his features darkened in a knee-jerk reaction at this heretical statement. She quickly continued, seeing she was losing him. "Take me." She winced, gasping in pain as she sat up and scooched closer to him. "I-" She took a breath and he saw the emotion of the memories flash across her face, "I was slated to fall to corruption since my birth. Everything I've experienced, every hardship, every instance of violence in my life shaped me. And the darkness made me look at every moment of that. It kept me sane because if I didn't take a long hard look at the things it showed me, those things would have consumed me and I would have gone mad a long time ago. Facing pain either makes you stronger, or breaks you. You've only encountered the people it broke."

Errold searched her face for any hint of dishonesty, of deceit, but he was unable to find it. Her words sunk to the pit of his stomach, and he felt he wasn't ready to face the weight of it yet. "What if I'm-" he stopped before he finished the thought out loud. _What if I'm not strong enough._ He felt lost as he reflected on this; his whole life had been built around _knowing_. Knowing what side he fought for and who he fought for. Knowing the breadth of his own mind, not distrusting the thoughts there. Knowing who his enemies were, and who he could trust. But now it all seemed scrambled up, and he couldn't shake the feeling, creeping and insidious, that he knew nothing at all about evil. He knew nothing about other humans and how or why anyone did anything. The grim truth of a lifetime in service to a specific doctrine, and the implications of the countless deeds he'd committed in its name. Swirling and insistent, these thoughts threatened the life they belonged to, as he felt the agony of that truth just beyond his vision.

To his relief the door chimed, mercifully pulling him from this dangerous train of thought, and he stood, finding his pants among the clothes on the floor.

"That's going to be Maddock, he's fine by the way, sent back to the ship after they repaired his arm. He's going to give you an urgent report from the station."

Errold felt annoyed at her knowledge of such things before he was even able to hear them. But that feeling was a good distraction from what had been circling his mind a moment ago.

He forced himself to reflect on her behavior, how she must have hijacked the ship's computer while he had been on the station. He wondered what else she had been up to, what other damage she'd done. She certainly was living up to the reports he'd read of her, of her abilities with technology and also her quick wit.

A second chime at the door pulled him from this, "I'm coming, blast it." He finished buttoning up his pants and walked over to the door, leaning on the frame as he pushed the panel.

The door slid open and a surprised Maddock took in the half naked Inquisitor before him. "It had better be good, boy." He said, glowering at his apprentice.

"Y-yessir," Maddock started lamely. Then his eyes widened as he spied Andromeda's form on the bed, the sheet only slightly hiding her half-naked body, "Oh!" Was all he was able to get out and met Errold's darkening expression. "I, uh, didn't realize," He stopped talking and swallowed hard.

She laughed and said from the bed, "Tell him about the report." Errold now gave her an unamused expression from over his shoulder. However, she just looked at her toes and swung her feet off the bed, "The report we just got about Lockharte, Maddock." She continued.

"Uh, yes, she's right." but he didn't continue.

Errold sighed and rubbed his face, "Did it say where he's heading?" He prodded.

"Yessir, he was spotted heading out to the Black Reach and the Eastern Fringe after meeting up with a mercenary freighter."

"Damn!" Errold growled and clenched his fists. "He's as good as gone!" He turned and shouted, "I'm taking a shower!" and stumped to the bathroom.

Andromeda sighed and rolled ungracefully out of the bed and after balancing her weight evenly, she grunted, going from a squat to standing, bracing on her knees wondering at what point the cybernetics were just going to fall off. Straightening her back and neck to minimize the complaining from her metal hip and back, she looked up and saw that Maddock was still standing in the doorway, staring, mouth open a little.

She limped over to him and patted his chest, pushing him back out of the room and said, "You did good kid." And shut the door in his face.

Errold had already started to angrily soap up, scowling while lost in thought as he did so. He had almost caught the slippery heretic several times. But this last escape felt final, like he was losing the edge he'd had up to this point. He knew that was wrong, he'd been slipping for some time and not just out of the blue. He leaned up against the wall, his elbow pressed on the tile, his hand holding his forehead, the soap forgotten. His head felt foggy, filled with muddy thoughts that bogged down him like the obscuring steam was doing to the tiny room.

He saw movement from the door and looked up to see Andromeda casually leaning on the frame, a smile playing at her lips, "Can I join you?"

He was about to say 'no' but she was so lithe, her feminine curves hazy and intoxicating in the mist and in that moment he felt unable to resist. He reached out for her, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her over to him, stepping up and grabbing her about the waist as he pulled. She laughed and playfully fell into his embrace.

Her hands on his chest, water and soap sliding down her body like rain, making her shirt and underwear cling to her skin and flattening her brown hair. She slid her arms up and around his neck and shoulders.

"I shouldn't be doing this." He said, squeezing her a little. "I should tell you to leave. To get out of here and not come back in."

She met his gaze and stood on her tip-toes so her lips hovered near his, "Don't," she replied and pulled his face down to hers, kissing him.

The steam swirled around them as countless emotions played out in his heart as he pressed her up against the wall, losing himself in her embrace and finding in that moment he no longer cared.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Later after the shower, as Errold pulled open a drawer for a clean shirt, I took one out as well. I held it out examining it, then put it on and smiled at him, daring him to say something. He just grabbed me and kissed me. Laughing I pulled away and picked up my pants from the floor, commenting that I'd like more than one pair of clothes, wrinkling my nose after smelling it.

"We're still docked. I can send Maddock out to find something for you."

"Or," I said with a smile, touching his stomach after he straightened from putting on his own pants, "You could give me a little test." I sidled up closer to him now, embracing him.

"Oh?" He wrapped his arms around me, "a test?"

"Mumm-humm." I grinned at him. "If you don't test me, give me little tasks that you can keep an eye on, how am I ever going to earn your trust?"

He stiffened, his little half smile waned slightly, as if remembering that he wasn't supposed to trust me. Had it really been so long for him? To feel a person, to connect with them on an intimate level that he just forgot to distrust me. It seemed to silly and unlikely.

"What do you have in mind." He said slowly.

"Let me go out, alone. Get some clothes, hit Medical up, see about getting these implants fixed?"

He quietly considered my words, carefully weighing the possibility of betrayal. "And that's it?" he asked.

"Mumm-humm, and I'll come right back here. No funny business. Promise." I said this last while making a little 'x' over the glowing text on my chest.

A funny look came into his eyes. Like he thought of something so sad that it made him laugh futilely at it. "Do I have a choice? I left you alone for two hours, Andromeda, _two_." He emphasized that last bit. "And in that time you had my ship wound around your pinky, the whole station thinking your were an inquisitor and," He hesitated. Pulling me in closer, leaning down to my lips but keeping his eyes locked with mine. "Saved the lives of me and my apprentice."

"And your astropath." I said slyly.

He laughed and something caught in his throat, braking the laugh abruptly, he looked down at my chest then met my eyes again, "You're an aberration. Everything about you is contradictory." He shook his head.

"Harsh." I said a little offended and pulled away. "That that stung a little." I turned and put my pants on, buttoning them angrily, feeling the wet around my eyes, I threw over my shoulder, "Maybe I don't want to be like everyone else. Maybe being an aberration is the only sane way to be." I had gone through great pains to keep from mutating during my time two-hundred years ago, and his words had a bite he hadn't realized.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me to him wrapping his arms around me from behind, "Andromeda," He said softly, "Maybe you're right." He nuzzled the side of my head, "I don't even know why I was told to thaw you out. All of this is..." He bit down on the rest of that, clenching his jaw.

I looked over my shoulder at him still angry. "I can lead you to water," I yanked out of his grip, "But I can't make you drink." I went over to the door, tears falling down my cheeks, "I'm still morning too, you know." And I looked at him, as the door opened. "And I'm trying with every fiber of who I am to make this work. To not let that madness catch hold of me." I tilted my head at him, still standing were I'd pulled away, hands now at his side, he looked defeated and alone.

I just swallowed down the sadness, "That darkness never goes away. We just make do, as best as we can." I turned and left from the room, not looking back as I rounded the corner to the kitchen, just next door to his bedroom. I leaned against the counter, my hands gripping the edge. The tears fell down my cheeks and I sniffled, trying to choke down the sobbs that threatened to overwhelm me. "Shut up." I chide myself trying to push the thoughts of my old misfit family away. "Just stop, their gone. They aren't coming back. Just get over it now." I thought of the fights I'd have with Helios and how we always made up after with kisses and vows to never do it again. Or how infuriating and argumentative my brothers could be, but we always had each other's backs, always managed to make up after fights, to see one an other's point of view. It felt like a lifetime ago.

I started to brew some coffee with trembling hands and wiped my eyes with the back of my arm while it made the bubbling, gurgling noises and tried to pull myself together.

I cleared my throat and blinked, shoving as much of those emotions back down as I could. I poked around the little kitchen, founding some food to eat.

Errold finished dressing feeling strangely bad about how he'd left things. And as he past by the kitchen he paused to look in. Seeing my form stretching up to something on a top shelf, standing on my tiptoes, his shirt riding up on me, showing the bruising on my belly and side. He swallowed feeling a pang of guilt for that as well.

He walked in, I looked at him over my shoulder as he did so, startled. He tenderly put a hand on my back and then reached up to get the box I'd been reaching for. Color rising to my cheeks, "I was going to get it." I said sourly, avoiding his eyes.

He set the box on the counter and then took my head in his hands making me meet his eyes. "Go out, enjoy yourself. I-" His voice caught, "I trust you. I'm a damned fool for it. But," He licked his lips, "I'm trying too."

I blinked at that and my features softened. Well, that was not where I thought this was going. I put my arms around his neck slowly, feeling out the parameters of the butterflies in my stomach as I did so.

"Just no more pretending you're an Inquisitor," a laugh pulled it's way from my lips at his request, "I mean it, please." He said, a tinge of concern and urgency touching his voice.

I nodded, "Yeah, ok." I replied. And then feeling a little bit like my old self again I added, "For now." To which he pinched my side and I shouted, laughing and gave him a punch on the arm. He pulled me in and kissed me and I let him as his hands found their way down to my rear and squeezed it.

After food and coffee I finished getting dressed, putting on my boots, belt and jacket in my room. I tucked the little nut back under my shirt and took off the Inquisitor's Rosette, touching the scarred surface, and laid it gently on my pillow. I half-heartedly ran my fingers through my hair and considered cutting it off. I had let it grow for Helios who'd liked to play with it. However, I couldn't care less about it personally, and at this point I'd have to buy a brush too. I sighed heavily at having to put that on the list of things I needed as well. By all the Chaos Gods, being without minions to scurry about and do this crap for you was for the birds.

I had really been spoiled back in the day. I realized as I looked at my reflection in the mirror and considered. Had it really been so bad, all of us together? We'd been a motley crew, but damn if I didn't miss the crap out them.

"You know," came a familiar voice behind me, "You should really keep the hair." I turned and saw Mardukth sitting on the little stool by my bed, his hands holding the front of the seat while he pushed back with his legs, "I've always liked it." His clothes were the ones I remember him in last I saw him, a fashionable three piece suit, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, making him look very hip. I laughed at the silly face he made at me, sticking out his tongue and rocking back on the stool. But I knew then, seeing his smiling face, laughing at his antics, that I'd never see him again. Would I? The bitter thought ran through my mind. And I let out a sob while still laughing at his funny, easy way. Knowing I'd never see that easy smile, those teasing eyes. "I miss you Mard." I rubbed my eyes while another sob pulling free. "I miss you guys so fucking much."

"I know, Andie." He said in that strange stilled way of his. He stood and walked over to me, "If I was alive I'm pretty sure I'd miss you too. I'd paint a really big picture of you with a bugs head. You know, in memorial. It'd be at least as tall as a building!" I laughed again, through the tears. Then hazarded the question that had been at the back of my mind since I was brought back.

"Are you angry at me? At what I did?" it came out a fair amount more anguished then I had meant, but the feeling had certainly been building for some time in my stomach, slowly rising up to my chest and now throat. Regret about how I'd acted. And how they had suffered because of it. I was not well-acquainted with the feelings of guilt, and I shortly decided it was not my favorite emotion.

He smiled and shrugged, holding his hands palm up, fingers spread out in front of him. "I don't think it really surprised any of us. We knew whose team you were batting for. I don't think we would have suspected that though," He poked a finger at my chest and I looked down, knowing he meant the holy mark. I looked up to respond but he was gone. I felt a surge of emotion with the tears coming back, I wanted him to come back. I wanted to see, not only his, but all their faces again; to be able to hug my brothers. Mard would laugh and hug me back, Mark would try to look as if he disliked it, but return the hug stiffly.

I just sat at the foot of my bed, knees pulled up to my chin, and wept.

After I'd washed my face and pulled myself together somewhat I made to leave the little room, then stopped and rushed back to the bed and picked up the Rosette and put it in my pocket, the weight in my jacket felt reassuring. Then left the room, heading down the hall, and hesitated in the doorway of the big, circular room. Looking behind me at Errold and Maddock, both were sitting at the dining table to the side. I stood there considering them, Maddock was peeling an apple, one of the vat grown ones from the station. He must have gotten some fresh produce this morning to bolster the ration packs that served as our main source of nutrition. Errold sat drinking some dark liquid in a cup with one hand, an actual book in the other, legs crossed in a very old-man-at-breakfast pose.

Maddock looked up at me from his cutting and smiled, holding up a slice to me, "want some? Their not bad. A little bland, but the crunch is nice."

I swallowed the feeling that rose up in me of being a little embarrassed at his generosity; thinking, not for the first time that this kid was not what I'd call 'Inquisitor Material'. I walked over to him, taking the slice of fruit and thanked him. I only allowed myself a single glance over at Errold who didn't look up from his book once, as I walked out of the room, heading to the exit and the station proper. Was he giving me the cold shoulder? Or waiting for me to spring my big plan of chaotic betrayal? Or maybe I was being paranoid and he was just enjoying his book.

Outside of the ship I headed to the main visitor check in. It was the quickest way to the main shopping levels and would have access to the public transportation.

The whole of the station was utterly massive and in some areas poorly lit. The people who had built this place were from era's long past and so much of the repair's done were mostly just patch jobs. The actual knowledge of how this place works lost to time.

I made my way easily through the crowded, grubby streets. Passing the space marines on their little holidays while their ships were docked. Their huge, menacing forms intimidating in the poorly lit streets and transports. Their big mech suits stumping about as they amused themselves with the local attractions. The station had a few mech suits as well, only a few of them were manned, most looked automated and also stepped loudly as they patrolled up and down the public places. Obviously an important location, the imperial army wanted it safe from within as well as without. Trash and debris littered every nook and cranny of this place and the smells ranged from the delicious scents of bakeries to the burnt plastic odor of the industrial labs that pumped their fumes into the air just as readily.

Along with some clothes shops; letting them know that I was a personal guest of the Inquisitor and giving them the name of his ship to send the selected clothes too. I couldn't help ducking into two of the technology stores I past. The first was a candy land of current trendy hard and soft ware. Most of it was trash, although there was a spinal hook up that looked very interesting. And giving a grunt of acknowledgement on the leaps and bounds in the assembly and quality of materials that had been made while I had slept, I was still annoyed at the ritual and prostrating that the young Tech-priest floor clerk made to the machines in order to make them perform the simplest of tasks. Rolling my eyes I thanked him and left.

The second place however was a little off the beaten path but I absolutely couldn't let the opportunity slip by to check it out. If asked why I had gone I would merely wave it off as 'information gathering' as this would almost certainly be where Lockharte got a majority of his tech, or they would know who would.

I had to duck down a few side streets to a seedier, darker part of town. Suddenly wishing I'd ask Errold if I could of brought my sword and dagger with me, now back safely in his arsenal on his ship and not doing me any good. I felt a little naked without any weapons and my limp must have also looked like an invitation, so I made sure to glare extra hard at anyone who looked my way. But I got to the shop unhindered, the little bell above the door rung and I entered. There was a red light in the back, and a dingy lamp half-heartedly shedding light in the other corner. It's dim, yellow light glinting off the shelves and shelves of scrap.

I eagerly poked through the first few rows I past, until a growl from the back of the store startled me.

"Aye, you! What do ya thing yer doing. Touching my stuv wit yer filfy hands." His voice was gruff and sounded like he had a sock stuffed in or around his tongue. I walked to the dust-encrusted counter and smiled.

"Looks like scrap to me." I said teasingly as I got a good look at him. He was average height and fairly wide, with plallid pink skin and long unkempt black hair that was balding on top. His arm was a metal replacement that looked about as old as mine, but with the proper wear and tear. He squinted out of his one human eye, the other a fancy multi-fase job that looked expensive. It's telescoping iris moving as it tried to take in my form, he took a bit extra time on my cane and the leg I favored with a strangely cagey expression.

"Well, eet ain't. Sur git out." He said testily and pulled a shotgun out from behind the counter.

My eyebrows went up in surprise at that, "Calmness, friend. I'm not looking for trouble. Just replacements."

He looked me back up and down with suspicion then, "Yer don' look like ya got thim parts to replace. Where ya hidin' thim?"

I laughed and pulled off my glove on my left hand, tucking the glove into my belt and waved the metal finger's at him. "I have all sorts of parts." I said with a sultry undertone and laughed again. "What do you have for legs. Mine is a DX-Five51, N model."

He outright scoffed in my face, "That's a dam lie. They don' make tha' stuff anymore. Havn't fur ov'r a hudded-fiffy years. Bah!" He waved a hand and my broadening smile.

"What would you give me if I proved you wrong?" I gave him a smug look.

He frowned at that and said, "If yer tellin' the truf," he seemed to weigh it in his mind, "thin I won' shoo' ya."

"Ha! Deal." I leaned my stick against the counter moved my long coat open with a flourish, undid my belt and dropped drawers. Feeling like my old spontaneous self because of this whole shop and how it reminded me of my past and how it felt being back there. My pants slid down my legs, his eyebrows up and his eyes followed the curve of my hips to the leg and then his mouth dropped open.

"Hol-eee sheeet." He drew the words out is surprise. "Ya wern' kiddin'." Then to my horror, setting down the gun down, he lifted himself up and over the counter. Everything from his hips down were gone and replaced instead with a large metal, silicone and wired monstrosity that looked like some unholy spider. I swore on my dead wife's grave that I'd fought a hellspawn that looked like that at one point.

I swallowed my fear and lamented again that my cane was my only weapon I had and started the mental calculations of how to get by all the legs to where it rested.

He lowered himself to the floor and 'humm-ed' to himself, then grabbed my leg and moved it, his robotic eye extending some from his head. That knocked me off balance and I grabbed one of the spider legs with one hand and his shoulder with the other.

Then said in perfect, clear words. "This is a nice leg, what butcher attached it, though?" Then he seemed to 'shush' himself and said in that strange tilted accent, "How much ya wan' fer eet?" And looked up at me.

I looked back down, frowning and his hands held fast to the leg. Was he possessed? Sometimes Daemons could distort voice, but I hadn't really heard of many that liked machines or having robotic parts.

I leaned over slightly and sniffed him. Letting the smell of old sweat, machine oil, and… Yeah, there it was. The hint of something dark, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Instead I replied, "it's not for sale unless you have something better to replace it."

He looked at the leg again, "This, while practically ancient, is still some of the most well made robotic limb replacement I've seen." That from the second, smoother voice. He then growled, "Hush, I said!"

"It's fine, you oaf. She's one of the chaos gods chosen. I can smell it on her. Just like," He paused, the voice sensual and feminine coming from his mouth, "She can smell me." One of the hands started sliding up my inner thigh and he smiled sweetly at me, an altogether bizarre thing to see, this total change in demeanor. "Maybe we can make a deal?" His eyes were filled with desire, but not sexual, it was hungry for something else, something sinister.

I jerked my leg away then, and replied tartly, "I'm not for sale, either." Then reached down for my pants to pull them up, and he grabbed my arm while my head was lowed to the same level as his.

His face suddenly screwed up in distaste. "Wait, I know you…"

I straightened and he did as well, keeping his head the same height as mine, "I'm a nobody. A daemon has hardly heard of me. So, you don't have any tech for sale then? No replacement parts? I'll just take my business elsewhere." Wanting to leave I buckled my belt.

"Oh, yes. By my little, purple horns." He reached out and caressed my arm, "The two-hundred year old robotic parts gave you away, that and your sweet, almond eyes. Brown skin, the stench of Malaal over your soul. And do I detect a hint of minty-Holy-Emperor-freshness?" A vile smirk spread across his mouth as I shrugged off the touch and ducked under his legs to grab my cane. "We all thought you dead, my darling."

I decided right at that moment that I was very done being there, in this store and instead of just straightening up as he moved to grab for me, I rolled back and to the side of him, diving out of my roll for the wall. "Arrg! After her, you lumbering mule!" The creature shrieked and crashed after me, knocking over the carefully stacked shelves, their contents spilling and banging to the floor.

I dashed for the door, down a little ally of shelves but he was able to catch up to me enough to lash out with one of his legs, stabbing me hard in the back. I cried out in pain as I was knocked forward and bounced off the window at the front of the store, now seeing that the glass was covered in thick, gray paint.

I grunted and lunged for the door, while using my stick to sharply thwack another stab at me from the monstrous legs.

"I will bathe in your blood and be rewarded for your betrayer's heart!" The furious creature couldn't stop it's momentum though and slammed into the glass, sending a spider's web of cracks through the window's surface.

I didn't even try and slow down as I grabbed the long handle of the door, swinging around while clutching it and hitting the other side of the double doors. I flung it open and slithered unceremoniously through, diving for the street.

The door slammed shut behind me as the man/daemon slid along it, pushing it shut with its weight. I heard the door open behind me, but I was already in a dead run, forcing my body for the second time in so many days to push past it's desired limits. Little warning codes flashing across my eye as I ran.

The creatures shouted at my retreating back, "We know you, betrayer! And we will hunt you forever!"

I puffed and huffed as I finally rounded the corner to the main drag of the cultural district.

That had been way to close.

"Oh shit. Fuck, fuck, fuck." I murmured under my breath, pushing the panic back down. _Are you kidding?_ I thought wildly. I couldn't believe that some lesser daemon, shoehorned into that half-spider creep knew me, let alone all those details about me.

While there were five chaos gods, four of them for the most part, while having a few 'friendly' rivalries, rarely agreed on anything. That is, except that they all hated, and I mean that they literally all, very viscerally, despise Malaal. And I had not only been a champion of Malaal, I had very nearly unchained the ungrateful bastard from his prison in the ass-end of hell. And if it hadn't been for the Undead, mortal man become God-King stepping in at the last second and making a very persuasive counter offer, I'd of done it, too.

I leaned against the cool, white plastic of the wall on the main throughway, Well, apparently my near miss with going down in history as the person who threw off the chains of Anarchy Incarnated, was an actual history hit of She-Who-Almost-Threw-Off-The-Chains.

I walked down the sidewalk a few feet to a bench and sat, putting the cane between my legs, bathed in the pink, green and blue light from the theater's scrolling marquee that read the newest show and it's times.

I felt dazed as I sat there, the hustle and bustle of the street seeming detached from me. That daemon said they thought I was dead, and now it'll tell it's boss, and that god will tell the other gods. They were like cockroaches. If you saw one, you could rest assured there were more under the fridge. I rubbed my forehead and felt very badly about how today had gone. Damn my curiosity. Damn my impetuousness. I should have tried and killed that creature instead of running. Killing the daemon inside of him. If I even could. I'd need to trap it and then set up a ritual of- _Oh, why did Errold have to thaw me out._ I cut my own train thought off with an internal anguished cry.

I gripped the cane in my hands and tried to sort out my thoughts and find some way to make it better. But there was nothing, other then the only _slightly_ reassuring memory that part of the deal I made with the God-king was that he'd protect me from the other gods. And I really hoped that 'safe' wasn't just making them think I was dead and allowing me some anonymity.

 _Well. There's nothing for it. The cat's out of the bag now._ I thought ruefully, wishing I had studied putting cats back in bags more in my college days. I stood up with a grunt. And, finding a map, headed to the main technical branch of the hospital.

It was a massive, sprawling building, made of cement and unflattering box-like lines. The long red banners of the Imperium hung fluttering in rows along the front. It looked like once you stepped in, you might be kept there forever.

Through the front door the pleasant man behind the main desk smiled at my approach. "Are you a professor?" I looked at him a moment.

"Huh?" I felt confused, but I suppose it's attached to a school.

He frowned, his smile disappearing as his eyes touched the cane, "Sorry, your limp, I thought-" he stopped himself and then affixed his smile back on. "Sorry, what can I do for you."

"I, uh, oh." I shook my head, confused how a limp would give that impression, "Well, I was actually coming in _because_ of the limp, you know, to see if you guys can fix it?"

His face registered surprise at that, "Oh I see, of course, I just need you to fill out these forms. Here," he scrolled down the tablet I was handed and pointed, "and here, make sure you put how you'll be paying, your financials and such." I thought about the Rosette in my pocket and resisted the urge to flash it. Instead, I took a deep breath and letting it out, I pushed the tablet offered back to it's owner.

"I'm Andromeda Tsin, here with Inquisitor Errold. His ship is the Inspiring Grace. Please contact it for the proper codes you need to expedite," I waved a hand at the tablet, "all this." I said with a slight air of disgust. Then turned my back on him and leaned against the counter, "I'll wait."

He gave my back a unpleasant expression, but after a few minutes he said, a little surprised, "Oh, I see. Your room and technician has already been ordered and are ready for you now. My apologies."

I turned to him and smiled, but also a heat rose in my cheeks as I realized that Errold had to of called ahead himself to ensure all of that.

He typed something in and after a moment a nurse appeared behind some double doors off to the left and said, "Andromeda?" I nodded and giving the annoyed front desk employee a last smile, I followed through the doors.

I was brought into the buildings inner corridors. Past other rooms, some holding those in recovery, some empty. Led to a room where I was told to undress and put on a medical gown. I sighed at the garment, holding it up. "Medical people and your irritating pieces of fabric."

"Your technician will be in shortly." The nurse said as she closed the door on her way out.

I was left there, standing in the middle of the room, trying to figure out how to wiggle into the piece of glorified bed sheet. Deciding to not even bother with the ties since it hurt to bend my robotic arm behind me, anyway.

So, I sat on the metal examination bed, feeling cold steel under the thin pad that constituted a mattress.

After a few minutes of broadly wiggling my toes, a voice said, "Oh baby," I looked up at Mortimer's robotic face. Only a small part of his jaw was flesh. He had a bit of chest and stomach under his Tech-Priest's red robes, but other then that, his body had been fully replaced.

I smiled sadly at him, "Hey baby."

He looked at my arm and my leg, "is the rest of it as bad as those look?"

"Eh, it could be worse, at least I can still move. That's pretty cool."

"And I helped install those myself." he said in a sad tone.

Just then the technician walked in. He was a hulking cyborg. But didn't wear the reds of a priest, instead had a white tunic over his torso. "My name is Technician Lepski. You must be Andromeda." They said this in binary and my eyebrows rose. The metallic sound vibrating from it's throat like a deep base with alto overtones. The last time I'd spoken it was before I'd left on my ship, a wild adventure two-hundred years ago.

The language was massively complicated. Meant to pack as much data into the spoken words as possible. This particular phrase was uttered in the present tense, authoritative non-gendered, but questioning. That meant this priest was a 'they' and did not identify as gendered, as well as implying that they were in charge and I was to respond promptly to any questioning.

"I am she." I responded in the metallic tones of the Mechanicus speech.

"Please lay back," They said in a strangely gentle command statement. I did so and looked over as the echo of Mortimer, still in the room walked over to my side, his robes swishing. The technician moved to the foot of the table and began to inspect my leg, toes, then my hip and arm, moving up my body, warning me gently that they were going to touch me. Mortimer also looked on intently his grunts of displeasure making me have to stifle a laugh.

"Butchers." He growled as the technician gently moved my leg, asking me to bend it at hip and knee so they could inspect the damage. Then they pulled a scanning device out; a long flat wand with a screen at one end, and after a tender prayer to the spirit that lived within they turned it on and began scanning my more internal synthetic additions. This elicited a very unhappy sound from Lepski.

"It is not well, these implants. They are rotted from the poor preparation before cryo sleep." The technician said at length, and turned the scanning wand off with a sigh. "Not all, but most can be salvaged and simply repaired. It is a shame about the leg and the arm. Even old, they are very lovingly crafted and mounted to you." There was some serious implications there.

"Aww, they saw the little details I left for you." Mortimer said with a grin, I gave him an annoyed 'shut up' glare and turned to the technician who had looked over at where I was staring as well then back to me.

"Yes, my life mate did the last install and system integration." I paused, frowning, "Well, before the cryo sleep. As you can see the cryo-technicians were not as gentle."

Lepski tilted their head to the side when I mentioned Mortimer. I had used the very specific term that a Tech-priest uses to refer to, generally another Tech-Priest, that they have formed a bond with. Doing so by plugging directly into the other's neuro processes and tapping directly to the other's mind and their personality. When they choose to become life mates, they actually imprint a small amount of themselves onto the other's memory core. Giving just a little of themselves to the other to keep with them forever. It is the most intimate gift one can ever do for another and it's not done lightly, and very rarely for obvious reasons.

"I see." They said, then after a moment, glancing back at the side of the room I had been glaring at, "and-" a pause, then asked carefully, "Are you having echoes? They would be normal for someone who was in cryo for so long."

I looked apologetic, "Caught that, did you? Yes, I have been having them since I woke up. Really strong ones too. I mean, I have died several times before and have suffered them for a short time, but never as real, as vivid, as these are."

They nodded, "Yes, this is not surprising. I feel this too can be fixed. If not completely, then significantly."

I felt a surge of emotion at that. The thought that these echoes would be gone forever suddenly seemed very overwhelming and I laid back down on the table from where I had propped myself up.

Mortimer leaned over me so he was unavoidably in my line of sight. "It's ok, Andie. This is for the best. And you'll always have a piece of me in that crazy head of yours."

The technician leaned in on the other side, "I sense the echoes are of your life mate and of friends... family? Is your life mate gone as well, then? Two-hundred years is a long time. But not necessarily for a disciple of the Adeptus Mechanicus…" I looked over at them and shook my head, remembering the report I had read and all the labels of deceased in red next to the names.

"I have no one left." as I said that, it sank very heavily into the pit of my belly. And looking firmly at the ceiling, I blinked away the tears.

They clasped my hand reassuringly, and squeezed it in a surprising display of tenderness. "I lost my lifemate about fifty years ago in an accident. His brain was unrecoverable." They sighed sadly. "It is the way, sometimes."

I steeled my heart and tried to sum up anger to help abate the despair. "Do whatever you can to repair as much of the damage as possible. Replace whatever you have to. The inquisitor is paying for it, anyway. Might as well get what I can out of it while he still needs me." The words, said through a clenched jaw were more bitter then I had intended them to be in the data rich vocalizations of binary speech. One or two tears leaked out of the corners of my traitorous eyes and dribbled onto the table.

Lepski gently patted my hand, "I'll make the arrangements. It'll only take a about thirty minutes for me to get ready." They walked over to the side of the room and began to quickly type in some notes to a tablet. Then off-handedly said, "I'd like to have some students in to observe the procedure. This will be an invaluable lesson to many of them."

I sniffed and wiped my eyes, "Knock yourself out." I said in common speech as it lost something in translation. While you could translate sarcasm, it tended to become quite unwieldy as you had to explain the meaning along with it. So it would come out as, "Hit yourself, but not in a physically painful way, in a way that would encourage you to feel the existential limits of mortal flesh while instilling the heartbreak of a minds inner turmoil." Some more tapping on the data pad then the tech left the room.

I turned onto my side and looked up at Mortimer's calm face. He'd always been the calm one. Me and Helios had cycles of brief fights that would end with us angrily making love and then laughing over whatever had made us upset. But he had always been loving and patient in everything he did with us. When she and I had finally asked him to join us, he could only bond with me, but the three of us had felt very deeply about each other. Helios had been the reasonable soldier and the strength that held us together. I was the passionate one, always inspiring the other two to push themselves, and Morty, a hopeless romantic had been the heart. His calm, gentle observations and tender reminders helped me and Helios keep from tearing ourselves apart, as we were both threw ourselves into our work, that made us both generally very intense women. More than once Mortimer would be sent by the other to 'talk sense' into whoever was being particularly stubborn or contrary. Everyday I found myself more like him, seeing his insights in my actions and manners.

"I miss you." I said looking up to his face.

"I know you do." he said softly.

"I miss Arty, too."

"I know." He replied simply.

"How do I make this work? I just want you to hold me in your arms and say it's gonna be ok. I know that's dumb, but I would give up everything just to hold you and her again."

He didn't reply. He just stood there, being present for me.

"This is going to sound crazy, but can you get her for me?"

He laughed and cocked his head to the side, leaning back on his heels, "Oh, that is so you, Andie. Your so bossy, your even trying to tell your hallucination what to do."

"I'm not bossing, I'm asking. Very nicely, in fact." I smiled back at him.

He just shrugged at me, "I don't think that's how it works. We show up when something triggers that memory for you."

I frowned, mulling that over in my head and then sat up, an idea coming to mind, and slid off the table. Heading over to my clothes that had been piled in the corner near a chair. Squatting down, I dug through them until I found the pocket with my necklace. I had put my wedding band on the small chain with Mortimer's little nut.

I looked back at my life mate who looked quizzically over my shoulder at my hands and back to me, leaning over slightly.

"Yep, bossing your mental illness around." he said, but it was playful with no bite to it.

"I love you, you know that, right?" I asked him.

"I love you, too. Of course I know that." He said with a little smile. Then I closed my eyes and, holding the gold band in my fingers, playing with it's smoothness, I thought about the moment I gave it to Helios at our wedding. Her incredible smile, that seemed to stretch from ear to ear. And her lips on mine before the officiator could tell us to kiss.

I heard a chuckle from in front of me, and I breathed out. Mort had never really felt gone to me, his shadow always with me. But Artimeisa had been my first real love, and there was no part of her left in me to keep the loneliness at bay. She had truly been the love of my life, smitten since the moment I laid eyes on her to the moment she'd been pulled away from me. And now I heard her voice, soft and teasing. I found myself afraid to look now that she was there. As if to look at her, knowing she was an echo, would somehow make it real that she was gone forever.

"You gonna stay awake all night, cutie?" Her words echoed the ones she'd said to me the night before the big two-day battle that lead to the end of everything. We had known it might be the last time we'd see each other, and so all three of us had stayed awake as long as possible, laying in each other's arms, trying to fight the dawn.

I opened my eyes and saw her squatting down in front of me, the pile of my clothes between us. She leaned on the chair, her elbow on the seat, her hand supporting her cheek. She was in her underwear and one of my grubby old t-shirts. Her normally tightly kept blond hair was loose and messy. Her large, heavily muscled frame, and creamy skin was familiar and gorgeous even in the fluorescent hospital lights.

Tears blurred my sight, "Your so fucking beautiful." was all I could get out.

She laughed and threw her hair over her shoulder, "You say that to all the girls." Leaning in towards me, her blue eyes dancing with amusement.

"No," it came out as a croak, my throat refusing to obey my command for words, "Only you. It was always only you."

"Shhh," She said reaching out to me, her finger passing through my lips, her hand and arm dissolving, her body, her smiling mouth, soon following.

I closed my eyes, the tears leaking out of them, down my cheeks. "Goodbye, my beautiful heart. I'll always miss you." And tucked the necklace back into the little inside pocket of the jacket and limped over to the table. I heaved myself up and, laying down, I waited. My throat tight, my eyes wet, and my stomach in knots.


	8. Chapter 8

****Author's Note****

 **This document has been edited for content. I added a bunch of stuff at the end. Enjoy!  
**

 **Chapter 8**

I remember the whispers, how they felt like voices I might have known once, even memories from the past, or maybe just something being said around me while I slept: my brain trying to make sense of the noises it heard while the technicians worked on me.

I do remember laying in a bed, the bright white lights of the medical facility blinding to me, Errold's baritone like a hum in the background. I felt something, like a hand on my shoulder and an unfamiliar voice. It started far away then became clear, my sleepy mind grasping for meaning to the sounds. Soon I realized that the voice was clear because it was in my head.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Leonard. I'm a friend of Errold's."

"Your a psyker?"

"Yes. I'd like to scan you. Errold has requested that I try."

"No. Don't. You-" I moved my body, drugged as I was, so I could emphasize the danger.

"I won't hurt you."

"No, I'm not afraid for myself." I had been touched by a psyker once before. My brother Mark, had developed abilities, a gift from his deity, and had turned them on me. Doing a full scan of my mind, forcing himself in. I shuddered at the memory and urged, "Please, you'll touch the door. It will hear you. It will come."

"It?" He asked. "What do you mean, it? What door?"

I felt the drugs I'd been under still. They made me sluggish and uncoordinated as I reached up and touched my chest, moving the blanket down so the spiraling writings were visible. "It's a door." I clutched his sleeve and pulled him down. "And I don't know who will come through if you touch it."

"I won't touch it, then. I'm only going to use my mind not my hands."

I was annoyed now, "That's what I-" it was hard to articulate while under the effects of the sedatives, and I tugged on his sleeve again, "Yes, with your mind. It opens the door. Please."

After a moment of consideration on his part, he leaned over me and said softly, "I'll be careful. Help me navigate as I scan you so I don't stumble over it. Guide me while I walk your mind's halls."

I nodded, it was useless to fight. He had made up his mind about it and he seemed intent on rifling through my head. And without my guidance the fool would surely bring Malaal right into the little hospital room with us.

I took a breath and closed my eyes. Feeling myself fall back into sleep, but this time I could feel someone in there with me. We traveled as best we could through the tunnels and confused memories. Many of them were on the data storage banks and not accessible without my permission. Those were mostly of the more recent memories.

But the most important memories, the ones I could never forget, those were still in the fleshy gray matter of my brain.

He touched my childhood, the pain and sadness there. Of being sold to the Mechanicus and enduring years of torture by the hands of my would-be teachers. The small moments of childhood joy, stolen by fear and loneliness. He saw how I went back to my parents as an adult, and finding them rotting in their own skins, my father missing limbs, my mother covered in sores. I had felt anger and revolution. I had, the same day, found my brother in the flop house with my parents, his body thin and malnourished, his manner that of a snarling animal.

I had grabbed him and set the rest of the house on fire. The memory of the flames licking and hissing in the cold rain, breathing in the scent of smoke and burnt flesh. I had dragged him back to my mentor, Grizwold the only human I'd ever truly trusted, and left him there for better or for worse. Turning my back on the other tech-priests I had taken to the sky with a rogue trader.

Leonard than touched the moment I had hoped he wouldn't. The memory when I'd found Malaal.

"No!" I begged, "Please, don't open that one."

"Why? I need to know why." he asked.

"It will hear. I told you."

"I don't understand. What will hear?"

"Malaal. It's always watching… Waiting. I- I can't fight him like this, I'm not strong enough."

The astropath seemed taken aback, "Malaal? I thought you were the Emperors-"

"Yes, I am, but-" I searched for the words that would make him understand. "Here, look at this instead."

I brought to the forefront of my mind the memory of my trial. Of the white marble and gold inlays. The red banners that hung from every wall and pillar with the golden imperial seal on it. The memory awoke in me, and I once again felt the shackles binding my hands and feet, the metal of my knee guards digging into the pristine white floor. From my kneeling position atop the tall flight of stairs, I looked out over the screaming people as they gathered, chanting for my death, and the priests, dressed in gold and white, chanting the sacred writings until they frothed at the mouths. I felt lost in that moment before my eyes found my wife's face, the wild crowd parting as the Imperial Custodes shouldered them back, making room to pass. She was only handcuffed, and while her face was resolutely set in a stony gaze, the red around her eyes and tear tracks down her cheeks, told me how frightened she was.

They marched her up the stairs and two of the clerics, dressed in light blues, unrolled some parchment, reading off her crimes of treason. The cleric finished and asked her how she would plead. She merely spat in his face. One of the Custodes that had brought her up, smacked her, which she took without flinching. The crowd screaming their desires for blood behind us, she looked back up, meeting the clerics eyes.

It was then I had started shouting, yelling at the cleric that I had coerced her. That it was my fault and she should be released; I would take the blame for all of it.

She had looked at me then, our whole world melted away until it was just us, I had in that moment realized that this would be the last time I'd see her. So I smile at her, the expression she gave me back indignant and confused at how I could be smiling at a time like this. I had just mouthed the words, "I love you,".

The cleric had nodded at my confession and waved a hand at the two Custodes flanking me and they picked me up, dragging me up to the pool of blood atop the stairs. As they pulled me, I felt my body dragged away and up the stairs, while I was left strangely behind, detached from my body. Mist and fog swirled and consuming the crowds and holy men. Time slowed, the noise dying away as the gray haze swept over the memory and I heard a voice from behind me.

"Why are you showing me this?" I looked up and saw Leonard standing next to me. I stood, no longer shackled and looked over at Helios. Her whole face red now as she screamed something unheard, tears streaming out of her eyes.

I pointed to her, "I'm showing you her. I did everything for her. Every choice I made was just a series of secret realizations of how important she was to me. I'd do anything for her."

He looked confused, "I don't understand."

I sighed, I'd have to hand hold him through this. "I did all of this," I gestured at the blackness now creeping in as the palace blurred out of view, "I made the choice at the tomb to save her, not kill her."

"But-" he shook his head, "She was with you at the tomb? I read what Errold gave me on you. It said she was nowhere near you, holding the line-"

"No, that's not…" I felt frustrated that he still didn't understand.

"I have to do this. I'm sorry, but this is what Errold wanted to know." I gasped as he shifted the memory to before the trial; to the tomb. And I felt that horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach as the cold of the unwanted memory washed over me.

There, in the cold gray haze of hell was a stone table, the seething, blackened form of Malaal's twisted body chained to the surface. Standing at the edge, her back to us, was a silhouette of a female figure: of me.

The cold dread that washed over both me and the psyker was palpable, but I had felt this before and was able to steal myself to against it. Leonard, however, recoiled and began to back up. I grabbed him by the back of the head with one hand, his chin with the other, "No." I growled at him, "You wanted this, now watch it." If he needed it spelled out for him, then so be it. He would watch this, and so I dragged him over, closer to the stone slab, forcing his face forward as we approached.

He watched in horror as the memory played out before him. The other me drew a sickly black blade out and sliced open her arm, my own arm twinging at the memory, the now healed scar itching. Malaal's many mouths all split in wicked smiles, a long, sickly laughter leaking from them. After sliding the blade over her wound, covering it completely in sticky red, she then sliced Malaal's arm open, it's black blood spilling over the table and she dipped the blade in that as well. Her face was scared but determined.

"I remember the fear of knowing it would all be over," I whispered to the astropath as he tried to pull from my grasp, both of our eyes still transfixed on the macabre scene. "The chained god would erase all of creation. We would just wink out of existence, cease to exist. I thought that's what I wanted, though. That's what Malaal had promised, after all. A true escape from all of this hurt. I thought I was doing all my family and friends a favor. Helping stop their pain as well."

The other me slid the knife under one of the coils of chain, "A knife forged in cold. The blood of a god and the blood of a mortal. That's how you free him." I said absently in Leonard's ear.

"No, please, let go. I'm-" he begged, "I'm sorry, I don't want to see."

"Shhh, watch." I said, "This is the part you came in here to see. Only me, Malaal and Horus know what happened in this moment."

At that moment, right before the knife could part the metal, a light shown in front of us, across the table, piecing the shadowy gray mist. The other me looked up and the smile slipped from the chained god's mouths as he searched my face for why I wasn't taking the cut. He couldn't see the light, first weak, now stronger, shining on my gaunt frightened face. He also couldn't hear the booming voice that even echoed around the memory, coming from all places at once.

"Cease. You must not free this being. It will only bring destruction and ruin." We watched as the other me gasped and tears began to fall down her cheeks.

The writhing mass of mouths and misshapen limbs snarled, "Do it! Now, you must do it now!"

The other me whispered, "why? There's only pain, I-"

"If not for humanity, then for love. I will protect them. I will protect you, even from the wrath of the other chaos gods. Look, now, upon that which you love most." And out of the mist stepped Helios, it was as if a snapshot was taken of her in mid combat, fighting an unseen opponent. "Do you wish her to die? Do you truly wish her to never have reason to smile, to laugh, for her life to end." Then Jensen and Mard came out of the mist, also fighting, "They fight for you, do you truly wish their lives to be snuffed out?" and finally was Mortimer, falling to the ground as his attack pulled the knife from his belly. "For them to never feel the warmth of life again…"

"I-" tears fell freely from her eyes as she whispered back, "I want them to live."

If a horrible mass of blackened flesh could look worried, Malaal did so now, and yelled at the other me, "Don't listen, whatever you hear, they are lies. Only I can bring you the peace you desire! Free me, and I will end all the suffering!"

Then from behind her arms, golden and glowing, came from the mist and enfolded the her, a brilliant face followed, luminescent in the dim light, and whispered in her ear, "Do you accept?"

Still staring at the images of her family, she replied, "Yes."

White heat, and burning light erupted from the spot, spreading out like a beacon in the dark and she fell back clutching at her chest, the knife dropping to the ground as she bent to one knee under the weight of the pain, shouting from the agony. After a moment, sweat beading on her forehead, she looked up at the chained god.

"Kill him." the booming voice said, and she reached into the swirling mist, feeling for the dropped blade.

She then stood, her hand rising up, then down, right into where a heart might be. Malaal screamed and it's body began to ungulate as black sticky blood gushed from the wound.

The other me fell back and clutched her chest, running back to where the exit was, unseen in the fog.

The memory faded and I let go of the astropath. I felt him wrench himself from my grip and then quickly from my mind, both of us tumbling back: me back to slumber, him to the waiting arms of Errold and Maddock.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Sunflower sat in a hall of the emergency wing of the large hospital. Wringing his calloused hands that were clasped in his lap. His tall, heavily muscled form hunched with worry, straightening hopefully every time anyone walked through the big double doors that led to the surgery area. Slumping back down as they passed without a glance in his direction.

He stood and paced, running his hand through his dark brown hair. Rainbow had been in surgery for hours and they hadn't said anything to him. Only letting him into the little hallway, saying they'd tell him when her condition changed. This was all after they'd fleeced him for every penny he had. He'd been able to give them her account information so they could withdraw the funds, but it hadn't been enough. Her savings depleted, Sunflower had given them everything he'd had. It had only barely been enough. And worse still it had only been enough to patch her up, not to repair the damage to her tech.

He didn't know anything about what she'd gotten herself into, and nothing about how she'd gotten injured. A few days ago she'd mentioned she was checking out a potential bodyguard gig, but had been vague on the details, saying that if it panned out she'd give him the hook up.

They had always watched out for one another like that, and now he felt so helpless, waiting like this.

Finally a nurse came through the door and made eye contact with him. "She's out of surgery." she said briskly.

"Can I see her?" at his question she made a sour face.

"She's not awake. And besides, are you family? You can't see her unless your- Hey!" She shouted as Sunflower pushed right by her and through the door as another nurse walked through allowing for the opening.

Although his tall height and lean, muscled body made him difficult to hide during combat, it worked to his advantage in these social situations as very few people wanted to tangle with him. It often allowed him enough time to do whatever he had needed to get done while more burly, generally armed security was found to enforce the rules.

He barged through the corridor, touching the little screens next to all the doors, bringing up their charts and more importantly their names.

At this point the flustered nurse had given up on telling him sternly that he wasn't allowed back here and had gone off to presumably find some of those bigger more armed guards to deal with him.

Then one of the screens lit up with the correct name and he opened the door. His heart sunk to the pit of this stomach as he walked in a saw his best friend laid out on the medical bed. She was all bandaged up, blood already seeping through the gauze on her chest. He stepped up to the side of the bed and took her hand in his, it felt so small now, her skin pale and clammy. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, hearing the booted feet coming briskly down the hallway, the nurse from before angrily saying, "He went this way,"

He gently smoothed her black hair back and said softly, "You stay strong, Rain. Don't you dare leave me, after everything we've been through, you hear?"

"Interesting. How well do you know her?" a voice came from behind him, prompting Sunflower to turn and look at its owner, an older man with silver hair standing in the doorway. He was clean shaven with impeccable clothes, and an air of authority that set Sunflowers teeth on edge.

As the armed guards came to the door saying that they both would have to leave, the silver-haired man merely waved his hand and said dismissively, "begone. I wish to interrogate this fellow here, and this women when she wakes up."

The nurse who had first talked to him in the hall eyed Sunflower suspiciously, but nodded at the security, "He's an inquisitor. He does as he pleases." The guards seemed disappointed at this but retreated back down the hall, furtively glancing over their shoulders at the room.

"Inquisitor, huh?" Sunflower said, duly impressed and also suddenly feeling a little exposed, or maybe cornered. He wasn't sure, but he didn't like the creeping feeling that was tugging at his gut now.

"You may call me Errold." Came his placid reply. "Your friend here, got into some trouble with me during my investigation." He walked towards Sunflower and took a seat in one of the chairs by the bed, motioning to Sunflower to take the other. "If you'll indulge an old man. Please. Sit." Although said gently, is also left no room for doubt that it was an order.

Sunflower sat slowly, like a prey animal entering an open field, unsure of where the hawks or foxes might be lurking. From this closer vantage point he now saw the creased lines of worry along the older man's face, the dark circles under his eyes exposing the tired, bordering on exhausted expression that tinged his calm demeanor.

"Your lucky that I happened to hear the nurse from next door." he jabbed a thumb at the wall, indicating the room next to this one. "However, I'm glad you came along. Perhaps you'd like to shed some light on your friends connection to the heretic Lockharte?" His tone was pleasant enough, conversational even, and Sunflower felt uneasy at the friendly way this very dangerous man was acting, as if they were all old friends.

"I didn't even know the name until you said it just now. She didn't give me any details before she left, only-" he hesitated knowing that every word he said put himself and Rainbow in danger. "Only that she had a new job, and if it went well, she'd let me know when it panned out or… well, if it didn't." He glanced over at the bed where she lay, thinking of the long hours she'd been put under the knife and how he hoped she'd be able to recover from the physical trauma.

"That's unfortunate." The Inquisitor said, nodding his head.

"Sorry I can't be more help."

"You could be some help still, to me and," He tilted his head at the bed, "Your friend there. Could you maybe check out some contacts? See if you can pretend to get hired by Lockharte, or maybe find out where he's heading too? I could make it worth your while."

Sunflower took a moment to respond while he mulled this over. He knew Inquisitor's could just take what they wanted, however this one seemed keen on using honey first before vinegar. "How much?"

Errold pursed his lips and rubbed them with two fingers, then nodded at the bed, "I heard that the damage to her robotic parts was extensive… I have also recently learned how costly they are to replace. One might even call those repair costs astronomical. It would be a relief, I'm sure, if those repairs were to be done at no expense to yourself or your friend. And perhaps any money you've spent today to be refunded back to your accounts… As a sign of good faith, while you find my information."

Sunflower sat back in his seat now. Surprised by the generosity, or… desperation? This inquisitor wanted that information badly and had just tipped his hand at just how far he'd be willing to go. And considering the fact that this man could literally have this station taken apart bolt by bolt to get what he wanted, Sunflower couldn't help but feel this opportunity would certainly expire quickly as Errold's patience wore thin. He also knew this chance wouldn't happen along again and looked helplessly at the bed where his friend lay. He had no choice.

"Ok, I'll talk to some people."

The Inquisitor smiled, "Excellent! If I'm not here I'll be on my ship, the Inspiring Grace. As soon as you get that intel I'll make sure that all this," he waved at the bed, "Is tended to."

Sunflower nodded and looked back to his friends unconscious body, the monitors showing her life signs as strong and rhythmic, but he still didn't want to leave her side.

Errold intruded on his thoughts, "So…" clearing his throat, "Off you go, son. Don't want to let this stuff go to long, the damage could be irreparable."

Sunflower didn't like to be pushed around, or bullied into action, and he glared at the Inquisitor, but he knew the older man was right and felt the weight of that lean heavily on his shoulders and conscience. If anything were to happen to Rainbow, something that he could have stopped, well, he'd never forgive himself.

Both men stood up then and Errold extended a hand, and after a moment of consideration on Sunflower's part, they shook, sealing the deal.

The taller mercenary, after one last look at the bed, left the room.

Errold lingered, however, and considered the chance encounter. It had been lucky indeed that he'd thought to come out and see what the commotion was. In truth, his ward, Andromeda had been taking longer to wake up then he'd hoped, the damage to her brain and nervous system had been extensive, and the doctors had cautioned strongly against moving her as her spine was still healing form the trauma of the repairs. But time wasn't on their side and the longer he lingered here the further Lockharte would be able to get. That knowledge weighed heavily on his mind and made him antsy.

He made his way slowly back to the neighboring room, however, once there not fully entering, merely leaning on the door frame, hands in his pockets. Maddock asleep in the chair. The boy had become quite fond of their new tech priest in the short time she'd been on the ship, and although he would never say it out loud, Errold had also found his thoughts drifting to the strange women quite often, her words seemed to haunt him at every turn.

The fact that Lenny had been tight lipped about what he'd seen in her head was disturbing. She had come to consciousness briefly while the psyker had been scanning her, had grabbed his arm, mumbling something Errold had been unable to hear. She'd then fallen back into sleep and after a few moments Lenny had jumped back from her as if she'd been poisonous.

Errold had pressed him for information, but just as Andromeda had promised, her mind, or much of it, was locked away on illegal data hardware, instead of easily scannable gray matter. He'd tried asking what the astropath had seen that had made him so pale and sweaty. But Lenny had just shaken his head and said ominously, "You should ask her when she comes too. I'm pretty sure she'd tell you, she… She doesn't hold back."

It had been infuriating. But Lenny had insisted that he wouldn't go back in.

Before leaving he had also warned, "Theo, this one is trouble, not in the way that she will lie to you, but that she will turn everything you know upside down. So, decide now. Either trust her, or stick her back in cryo. There's not going to be a middle ground with this one. I think you've met your match this time, old boy."

Errold had smiled at his friend and embraced him, saying their goodbyes. But the inquisitor had been left with a terrible sense of foreboding by Lenny's words. And he wasn't really sure how to go forward from there.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

* * *

Sunflower walked into the small, smokey room. Candles and incense were burning along every wall, and hookahs with opiates and sweet smelling dried herbs were being lit and imbibed by several limp forms laying on soft, brightly colored cushions on the floor.

The bouncer on the outside of the room, Sunflower thought his name was Roger, had nodded at him with familiarity, allowing him to pass.

The place had been moved since he'd last taken a job from Big Vinnie. The angry little man had doled out the occasional job for him and Rainbow in the past, and it had taken him most of the last day and some of this one to find where their new location was.

He walked up to the small desk at the back of the darkened room, the dark wood's handsome finish covered by a dingy film left by the smoke. The only light in the room being shed by a large tank of water set inside the wall behind the desk, the fish swimming sluggishly inside. There, leaning back in his chair, was a short squat man, his balding head tilted back, his feet up on the deck. He looked like a proper villain in his expensive silk suit and shiny leather shoes puffing thoughtfully on a hookah while looking over a paper.

"Sunflower!" came his raspy, surprisingly deep voice. "My favorite mercenary!"

"I thought Rain was your favorite, Vincent." Sunflower replied.

"Huh. Well then, my _second_ favorite." He laughed, more of a husky cackle then a laugh, but it was also very villainous, adding to the rooms whole mystique. "What can I do for you. Here for some work? I heard about Rainbow. My condolences, friend, I know you two were… _close_." the way he said that wasn't friendly at all, and Sunflower had to force his muscles to loosen and for him to take a relaxed stance, and even force a smile.

"Yeah. Thirty-one hours in surgery." he hoped his gritted teeth didn't give away his feelings. This kind of banter was Rainbow's forte, not his, and he found himself missing her terribly right then.

"Sorry to hear that, kid. She was a good one."

"Listen, She was working a job, said it was going to pay out huge. I want in. Even if it's off this fucking shit hole."

Vincent gave him an appraising look, "That's a pretty dangerous job. And uh," he glanced Sunflower up and down, "It's not one you'll come back from. I'm not dealing with him anymore, anyway, bad for business. I can find a few smaller things for you. Your a good worker, I don't-"

"I said," Sunflower interjected, "even if it takes me off this damned station. I want out of here. There's-" He swallowed, hoping he could make the lie convincing, "There's nothing here for me anymore."

Vincent looked unconvinced, "Your telling me your gonna leave your lady in her hour of greatest need." he said this with a flourish of his hand and a batting of his eyes, imitating more feminine mannerisms.

Sunflower looked at the ground, thinking fast, "They said there was too much damage to her brain and implants. She'll never wake up." That thought was actually terrifying to him, letting it be voiced was difficult to say the least and his throat choked authentically on the words. "I can't stay here anymore, Vinnie. Too many memories of her." He met Big Vinnie's eyes.

There was silence as the two men looked at each other. "Yeah, okay." He finally said to the Sunflower's relief. Vincent rooted through some papers on his desk with his little, chubby fingers, copied something onto a piece of scrap, and held it out to Sunflower. "Transport leaves tonight. Pack light. It meets up with a fighter in two days that'll have your contact on it."

Sunflower reached for it, but Vincent moved his hand swiftly just out of reach, giving the larger man a stern look as he did so. "I mean it Sunny, this guy's bad news, stay here and I'll take care of ya. Maybe we can figure out something for Rainbow, too."

But Sunflower snatched the paper from Vincent, and tossing a, "thanks" over his shoulder, hurried out of the heavy air inside the small, four room, closed storefront to the stations open, less oppressive streets. His heart was pounding in his chest and he felt faint, he'd been convinced that the small man was going to see through his lies.

Pulling the collar of his long, brown coat up he headed back to the hospital to deliver his intel to the waiting inquisitor.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

I felt terrible.

Like I'd been punched repeatedly all over my body. It was worse than when I had popped out of cryo, and worse still then when I'd gotten my spine replaced, and that had taken me weeks to truly heal from. But to be fair, I reflected as I lay limply in the stiff bed, I was young when that had happened and now I have a better, more intimate understanding of pain.

I wasn't really sure that I'd want to open my eyes just yet, either. Opening them seemed to be a commitment to the pain. Maybe if I just lay here, very still I'd be able to go back to sleep. But my traitorous bladder piped up and made it's needs known along with my grumbling, empty stomach. After a few minutes of studiously trying to ignore them I finally gave in to the inevitable, and haphazardly opened my eyes.

The room was darkened and hard to make out where exactly I was, peeking out of one eye, I saw a table with a plastic bag on it, some folded cloth inside. Maybe my clothes? Although, I did see that my cane was resting by the door, and a napping Errold sitting on a chair near me, his head propped on his hand, his eyes closed. I was in the hospital still it seemed, the smell of disinfectant was heavy in the air, which made me wonder how long I'd been unconscious. At my reflexive inquiry a scrolling log of recent activity floated by the inside of my eye. They had done extensive work on my body, even bringing in two flesh crafters to help with some of the more detailed work around my nerves and delicate spinal connections. At least that's what I surmised by the simple data read out and the changes and repeated, systematic shutdowns it had detected.

While I didn't want to wake Errold, I did want to get up and out of this bed. I clenched my jaw, stealing myself against the coming movement, knowing it would be horrible. I sat up. A low groan coming out of my mouth, the throbbing all-over ache was about as bad as I'd expected it to be. But, to my immense relief, my ability to flex and move was greatly increased. It felt amazing actually, even though my blood and skin felt like it was on fire. I carefully rotated my arm a full rotation and grinned at the mobility that I had back.

Errold stirred and looked sleepily up at me and, realizing where he was, sat up straight in his chair, "You shouldn't be moving," he scolded. But I just laughed, moving to the edge of the cot and swinging my legs over to the floor, my feet touching the smooth plastic. I let my toes flex and curl over the coolness of the floor, enjoying the slight relief that the cold gave. And, testing my balance, I gingerly stood up.

Errold, looking alarmed stood up as well, I could hear the bones and joints cracking as he did so, and put his hands out to me, protesting about the doctors wanting me to rest.

But oh, heaven's above, it felt magical. A little dizzy up here in standing land, but there was some serious magic feeling in my hip and spine.

I looked down and started feeling around between my legs for the catheter that hid there, while Errold told me again to stop, "Andromeda, I mean it! You need to lay back down. This can't be fixed again if you break it, or so I'm told... Wait! What are you-"  
I gently pulled the little tube out, it hurt but everything in my body hurt. "Just stand there and let me lean on you. And stop fussing so. I can pee on my own." He clutched me as I pulled, I could see now, the deep lines on his face, his brow slightly furrowed and the dark circles under his eyes. He seemed more haggard then when I left him, his pallor grayed. "You look really terrible, when did you sleep last?" He ignored the question and pulled me closer as I tucked the tube under the edge of the mattress to keep its contents in the bag under the cot.

"Andromeda, please. Lay down." he said it so gently, like he was enticing a wild animal to perform some difficult, desired task. I took the opportunity to lean into him, enticing him to kiss me, and his head bowed slightly, but he wasn't taking the bait just yet.

"Let me pee first, huh?" I relented. Fine, if he was going to play hard to get… or play hopeless romantic? I guess I could live with it. This was another instance where I just couldn't get a firm handle on him, every time I thought I had him, he'd push me away, and then others, he'd just give into me. Was this how I acted when I was young and first corrupted? Oh, gods, I'm surprised my past lovers didn't shoot me.

I tottered to the bathroom, my leg was certainly better. It's connections had been cut and reattached with new pieces that felt so well oiled I could shout in joy, and when I walked, although it was still not very happy about holding the weight, it moved like a hot knife through butter and absolutely no clicking or any other unauthorized noises. In fact it was so smooth, the delay gone, it didn't even make the normal 'swish, swish' that I'd become accustomed to, just the clack of metal foot against plastic floor. Sitting down carefully on the metal seat of the toilet I felt real happiness rise up into my heart.

Maybe things could get better. Maybe with time, all this would pass and I would be able to move on, better than before. Well, to be hopeful was dangerous, so for now I'd take the little victories. Like being able to wiggle my toes without fearing they might pop off my foot! I wiggled them furiously to drive home that thought.

After emptying my bladder, I stood and with a limping barefoot, fancy free attitude, I smiled at Errold, refusing to let the almost overwhelming pain get my high spirits down. But I became distracted by his intense demeanor, "Andromeda," he said as I approached, "You shouldn't be up and walking, your technician said y-" I cut him off, reaching out and grabbing his hand that he'd extended to help, pulling him down for a kiss, the last words muffled by my mouth. But he pushed me back by a few fingers on my chin, "I, well, Maddock was waiting here for you, but I sent him off to get some rest." his thoughts seemed jumbled as he tried to explain this unimportant detail, I moved obediently to the bed, pulling him along with me. "I mean, how are you feeling?" he finished lamely at my teasing smile.

I hopped up onto the mattress, my legs dangling off, toes brushing the ground. "It feels like my blood's on fire and my bones are being ground to power. But, I feel wonderful. Everything is moving really great, very smoothly."

He nodded to the stick at the door, "Still going to need that, though?"

I shrugged. "Until I have the leg totally replaced, which is a massive undertaking: you have to strip the bone and other tissue down, it's such a mess. Anyway," I said waving a dismissive hand, "because of the way they took it off before I was frozen, this is as good as it gets. But Errold," I said a little gentler, as he started frowning again. "It _is_ better. It's so much easier to move. And my parts don't feel like they could fall off with a stern glance."

Errold allowed an amused smile at that thought. He then, tentatively, as if testing it out for himself, touched my leg and thigh, sliding up to my hip. "It feels smoother, less jagged. Like here, by where the skin meets it." I grinned at him and put my hand over his. I leaned in closer to him and slid his hand higher and under my gown.

"I invite you to take the new body out for a spin," and I gave him a little wink.

He seemed tempted by the offer for a moment but shook his head and stepped back. "It's late, and we have an early day tomorrow since you're awake now."

But I still had his hand and pulled him to me as I hefted myself forward, off the bed. I captured him then with my arms around his neck and nuzzled his cheek, "let's see if I can get some color back in that face of yours. You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Andromeda." He started to say something, but then hesitated. I pulled back and gave him an inquiring look, and he continued, "you were unconscious for two days." he looked grim, "When I hadn't heard from the medical center or you for the first day I contacted them and they said they were still working on you in shifts."

My face reflected the surprise I felt. "Two days, wow. No wonder I'm starved."

"This isn't a laughing matter. They said that the replacements they had to make were extensive and you'd be in bed for days. And then when they brought you in…" he paused, and I saw where the concern was from. "It was... not what I had thought it was going to be like."

I tried again to lighten his solemn mood, "I thought inquisitor's were unflappable." And while his face was still stern, I felt the change in his body. How it eased, his hands actually touching the small of my back.

"You should get some rest." It was tender, the way he said it, and I gently touched the side of his head with my hand while studying that emotion.

"I feel more alive now than I've felt in days," I rubbed my nose against his chin and side of his face again, "don't push me away."

He looked torn as he returned the nuzzle, I touched his lips with mine; he returned the kiss and pulled me into his embrace.

* * *

Afterwards we lay on the little cot while he embraced me from behind, his arms encircling me, his nose resting against my neck. And within seconds I heard the soft snore, and my heart did a somersault. He must have been exhausted, and try as I might, I couldn't swallow the feeling of emotion creeping up my throat. These encounters were just my way of making life with the inquisitor easier. If he was fucking me, he would grow to trust me, although I hadn't anticipated him secretly being a romantic bleeding heart. And his feelings, stirred by the corruption, seemed to be magnified and difficult for him to sort out, even better for me. So why did I have this strange feeling in my stomach, like a multitude of little winged creatures were swirling around in it? And why was my heart doing little foolish flip flops when he held me close like this? This was business as usual. That was it, right? Just me trying to make my life easier. Yeah. Just business as usual.

* * *

Later that night a nurse came in and gasped, I sleepily put my finger to my lips, and then waved my hand at her, signalling for her to leave. Her eyes wide, she backed out of the room, and shut the door.

* * *

The next morning I woke up in Errold's arms, the warmth of this body was very pleasant and took the sting out of waking up not only physically, but emotionally. I spent a few minutes just enjoying the sensation. It had been hard waking up alone on the days I had. Yet another thing I had been spoiled for during my time on the Revealing Justice; the sword-class ship I had managed to hijack and convince the crew of that I was not only appointed in-charge-of by the previous captain, but that I was an inquisitor.

But now I was once again a humble cog in the great Imperial machine and had to get my fixes however I could. _Although_ , I thought as I turned in Errold's arms so I could look at his still sleeping face, _I could do worse._

He stirred as I peered at him in the dim light of the room, "you awake already?" he asked groggily.

"Yes. I don't need as much sleep as you do, old man."

"Hey now," he said, waking up more and pressing his hips against me, "Careful, I'll have to get out my cane- Oh wait, you're the one with the cane, that's right."

"Hey!" I laughed and pulled him into a kiss, pushing the thoughts of my past and current lover's to the side, allowing myself to melt into his eager embrace.

* * *

Afterwards, sweaty and gasping we collapsed on the bed, and only after a moment of gentle kissing and nuzzles he got up and I watched him disappear into the bathroom. I fought off the sinking feeling creeping up inside me like a dark fog choking all the tender new green of hope that had taken root in my heart. It had been too good to fast. Just a few days and I'd already gotten myself into a fair amount of trouble, some of which I had yet to see the consequences of. And it was that unknown that slowly gripped me, the dark tendrils whispering their worst case scenarios at me as they squeezed the hope from my heart.

My body still hurt a great deal and I stretched slowly, remembering the time my spine had been replaced. That moment, when I woke up, had changed me. I remembered how as youngsters we had placed bets on which of the new graduates would break from the pain. Later when it had been my turn to awaken on that cold slab of metal, while I had wept quietly, I had refused to cry out.

Errold finished up, came out and dressed. He stole a tentative glance over at me while he buttoned up his shirt, appearing to brace himself for a fight, and said, "I'm leaving to check up on something. You shouldn't get up until your technician clears you. I'll let them know to come and check on you. Until then I have something I need you to look at if your up to it while I'm out."

I was fighting off my own internal demons and would actually be glad of the reprieve from the inquisitor's trained eyes, "Okay." I said, lacing my fingers over my chest, wiggling into my pillows, and putting one foot over another. "Be safe." I added hoping this would show my sincerity instead of merely being suspicious.

However, this simple reply did elicit a suspicious look from him, I had seemingly given up so easily.

"Really? Just like that? What are you up to, girly."

I scrunched up my face with disgust, "Oh no. You're never calling me _that_ again. And I'm not hiding anything. No tricks, I promise. I just... hurt a lot and don't want to strain my newly fixed parts. You paid a hefty dime for these," I said patting my leg and grinning, "You should be happy I'm looking to take care of them."

Still suspicious but willing to let it be for now he nodded, "I paid nothing. As an Inquisitor it is my right to merely ask for any imperial service." He picked up his jacket, leaned down to the bed and kissed me, "But you knew that, with all your impersonating."

"Touche." I said, smiling back at him. "I mean it though, be safe, huh? I really don't want to jump out into space again anytime soon."

"I will endeavor to do my best." he replied, and taking one last look at me as if gauging my comment again, left the room.

I laid back in the blankets and snuggled into them. More time for me to sleep in, a win/win no matter how you looked at it.

* * *

Nurses came in some time after to check on me, giving me a cocktail of medicines to help with the pain and recovery. They just made me groggy and listless, my face started to feel numb and my arms heavy, I sunk back into the bed, half sleep.

Not long after Maddock came through the door. He smiled at me as I sat up slowly, "I smuggled in some meat pies from this place down on the main drag. I had them yesterday. Very tasty. I thought you'd like to try them." it was just the kind of sweet, childlike, but still thoughtful thing he seemed to just do. I took the food and motioned for him to sit at the foot of the bed while I ate.

"So, tell me all the scintillating details of what happened while I was getting my insides turned out." I said through a bite of meat pie.

He made a face, showing his displeasure at the thought, "You know, you say that as a joke, but you looked really bad when we first saw you."

I cocked my head at this and thoughtfully chewed my food. "So, you guys have been at the hospital the whole time? I was wondering what was dream and what was real."

"Yeah," He said, "We got Lenny first, then headed-" He paused and looked up as if he said to much, "What _do_ you remember?"

I thought about the snippets of conversation with the psyker. He had dredged up quite a few memories that I hadn't been keen on reliving. "Well, I remember your friend poking through my head. Not so fun. Have you ever had it done to you?"

"No." he replied a little sheepishly.

I felt tired and now with food in me, I felt the sluggish mind fog of sleep rolling in. I leaned back into the pillow and waved dismissively at him and his lack of experience. "I'm gonna catch a few 'Z's' while I can."

Maddock made a long, dramatic drawn out sigh from the foot of the bed and put a hand on my leg, "Andie, we were really worried about you. You looked… well, the scars are mostly gone now, but there were gashes all over your body when we first saw you. You looked like you'd gone through a meat grinder. I've never seen Errold so angry. He yelled at the tech's about how if they'd broken you he'd have their heads."

"Aww," I said with a little laugh, "He's such a softie. Who knew?" But at Maddock's angstful expression, I soothed, "It's okay. I'm already feeling better then I did last night. I'm sure I'll be bouncing around the place in no time." I tried to sound as reassuring as possible, the poor kid looked like he'd just lost his puppy.

"Oh, I almost forgot," he said, pulling out a data pad and handing to me, "When you're up to it, Errold wanted you to go over this. See what you can make of it."

"I can't do much of anything right now, they've got me hopped up on all sorts of crazy shit." but I took the pad anyway. "I'll take a look at it after my nap." I winked at him and he rewarded me with a smile.

He stood and said, "I'll leave you too it then." And made to leave the room.

"Nah, stay. Hang out. I'm stoned not dead. What's been going on while I've been asleep? Leonard is feeling better, I take it?"

"Yeah, full recovery. He got a nasty shot to the head, but he's back on his feet." He said, sitting in the empty chair next to the bed. "It's honestly been really quiet. Well, other then that merc I shot while-" His words cut off as he remembered the incident.

"What merc?" I was curious now and prodded him for more information.

"She was, uh, with Lockharte when me, Lenny and Errold were captured. I, uh," he looked uncomfortable. "I shot her in the fire fight. She was the only one to survive the fighting. Well, survive is a strong word." He looked up at me then, searching my face for something. "Andie? Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, knock your socks off, kid. It's not like I'm going anywhere."

"Do you ever forget all the blood? Do you ever stop feeling guilty when you kill them?"

I was taken aback by the question. It wasn't something I'd thought about in years, I'd lived in a state of kill or be killed for so long, of fight or flight, the philosophical line of thinking wasn't something I'd had the luxury to indulge in. "Not really. The killing part gets easier, but the rest…" I waved a hand vaguely at something unspoken. "Like I said on the ship. There are those I wish hadn't died and some I'm glad did." I thought back to the Technician Lepski's words. They had stung at the time, but now I was able to see the wisdom there. The kindness that they were trying to show me. I wish now that I could find them, give them a big hug and buy them a drink. "It's just the way it is, sometimes." I was feeling very sleepy now and it was hard to hold my eyes open.

He didn't seem happy at my reply. "I just-" He looked nervous and leaned towards me lowing his voice. "I don't think I like that part of the job. The killing. It makes my insides turn to knots." then he added quickly, "please don't tell Errold I said that."

It was hard for me to focus on his words now, and I just smiled weakly in his direction, turning my head slightly, not opening my eyes. "I think that's supposed to be normal, kid. Didn't you hear? I'm an aberration and a heretic. Nothing I do is ever the correct thing." I reached out to him, my hand limply falling off the bed, and I felt his hand in mine as the drugs fully kicked in, sweeping over me like a warm blanket. "Your gonna be fine. Your maybe a little too nice, but your heart's in the right place. Don't let anyone beat that wonder out of you, huh? It's your best qualit-" I trailed off as I fell asleep.

Maddock gently tucked my hand back on the bed next to me and gave it a little squeeze.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Errold stood in the hall outside of Andromeda's room leaning in an easy way against the wall. She was being sedated to help with pain. Or so we was told by a sweaty unkempt male nurse who had muttered this then entered the room on the heels of the other two medical staff that were also attending.

He sighed at the delay and tapped impatiently on the datapad in his hands. He was a man of action who sought out knowledge when he found himself stuck as we was now. However, all his information appeared to be either unconscious down the hall in the form of a young female mercenary that had survived Andie's attack on Lockharte, and two datapads that were heavily encrypted and he couldn't even get past the first unlock screen.

Frustration gnawed at him and he finally gave up on trying to decode the complex patterns of defensive programing. He had at his disposal a fair amount of high end hacker programs and decryption thingy-ma-bobbers. Whatever they were called, he couldn't recall. He just used them all until one worked, as they generally did.

Anxiety rose in his throat as a sigh escaped his lips, the hand holding the datapad dejectedly fell to his side. He was also trying to ignore the turning in his stomach and tightness in his chest every time he thought about Andromada laying on the bed cut to pieces, the bandages already soaked from the open wounds.

The pad was the only thing, other then the mercenary, that had been worth recovering from the explosion. Apparently both were forgotten in the ensuing chaos by the escaping Lockharte and he knew that Andie was going to have to be the one to crack both open. The mercenary woman, codename: Rainbow, had been a fairly well connected up and coming; her and her partner, codename: Sunflower. She had been given extensive implants and tech replacements, apparently also being quite tech savvy with very little formal training according to her file.

The medical staff exited the heretic's room and the one who had mumbled something at him earlier ducked away quickly and took off at a trot. The out-of-place movement caught his attention and Errold straightened from the wall and followed the strange man's movement with his eyes. He suddenly heard frantic beeping coming from Andromeda's room and the inquisitor glanced in long enough to see her starting to seize, the monitor's urgently beeping at the nurses who quickly ran back in the room, shock on their faces.

Errold's eyes narrowed and a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. His instincts, an uncanny culmination of decades of inquisitorial work and training told every sense he possessed that, without a doubt a person did this, and he knew just who that was. And even if the strange man wasn't at fault, the chase would be a nice distraction. He didn't like the way seeing Andromeda in such a state made his chest wrench.

Missing only a moment to pull his eyes from her form, "Stay with her." he shouted at Maddock then barreled down the hall after the now running nurse, who ducked into a stairwell. Errold slammed into the door just as it closed, causing it to swing wildly open and hit the wall behind it with a crash.

He pulled his laspistal and scanned the stairs, eyes sweeping first up than down the stairwells from the center area. Just as his head popped into view over the railing a shot blasted past him from below.

He jumped back then ran down the stairs three at a time. He had been able to glimpse the white coat and disheveled dark hair that was his query. Another shot fired past him and then the sound of a door slamming open from below.

He quickly came to the landing where the door was slowly shutting and rushed forward, grabbing it before it did. He peeked around the corner and another shot rang out, missing him again as he ducked back behind the door frame, but he heard a shriek from out of sight as someone down the hall took the shot instead.

Errold ducked out, firing a few shots at the ceiling to cover his exit. He made it to a gurney that was on the opposite wall and hazard another glance down that corridor. He could see through the now flickering lights that the man he was pursuing had taken cover behind this section's nurses station. Several doctors and patients had also taken cover and were all shouting and and adding to the general din of the chaos.

He moved down the hall, keeping low and ducking from door way to medical cart. He saw a bit of movement at the far end of the hall and knew the stations authority's had been called. From his hiding spot in a door frame near the nurses desk he keyed the comms on his portible, flipping it open and dialing up the stations lead officer. The line click as the recipient picked up.

"Yes? Inquisitor, sir. How can I assist?"

"I have a man cornered in the section 5 hospital, Level-" he glanced around to see if he could see a sign or indicator of the floor he'd ended up at.

"-Level 3 I believe, Inquisitor, sir. If that's where the gunfire was reported. I'm pulling it up now."

"Tell your men to cover the exit's, but to let me talk to him."

"Understood. Sending the message n-"

Errold had already hung up the line and collected himself. He'd have to do this gently, cornered animals had a nasty habit of biting.

"Hey there, friend." he shouted over his shoulder at the nurses station while he checked the chamber of his laspistal to confirm his bullet count. Yep, three left. "Looks like we have the exit's blocked now. I'm willing to have a chat if you are."

"Fuck you!" Came the shouted reply from behind the desk. "I've got a hostage, so don't try anything!"

"Yep, you sure do there, buddy." the inquisitor replied. "So, since we seem to have some time do you want to talk about this? Maybe not add murder to the other trouble your in?" There was silence so Errold pressed, "Listen, you need to talk to me. I'm the only one who can get you out of this. I'm an inquisitor, I can make anything happen for you."

After another tense moment he heard movement, "I want to get out of here."

Errold looked around the corner and saw the man stand up holding a women in front of him, a pistol pointed at her head. "I know you do, I'm coming out." he stood, his hands up the pistol pointed up. He wiggled it and slowly holstered it. "Listen, I'm an inquisitor. I can let you just walk out of here with a snap of my fingers. No questions asked. You want that, right?"

The man, his eyes wide from panic nodded, his hostage let out a small sob but stayed otherwise quiet. Errold held his hands out and up, palms out to the man. "That's right. You can just walk right out of here, but if any harm comes to that young lady, I can't do a thing for you. So I'm going to pull up your file," he tapped his forearm, and a display popped up, "What's your name, son?"

The man blinked and swallowed stiffly, "Paul. Paul Chems." Errold inputted his name and pulled up the man's identification. And his police file which blinked red. "There we go, and with one button push," he jabbed a finger and the whole thing blinked then gave a no file found. "See? All clean. Now you can just walk out of here. No fuss." This was said like a loving father to his young child. But now the inquisitors voice became deeper with a sinister edge to it. "Now let the girl go or I'll undo it and kill you both."

The threat gave Paul pause and the two stared at each other for a moment, then Paul pushed the women forward and made a run for the door.

Errold's pistol was in his hand and firing instantly. Two shots to the back. The man fell forward and screamed in pain. Errold was on him instantly, flipping him over and grabbing the gun as Paul swung wildly with it. The inquisitor then punch the flailing man, knocking him out.

He stood up, throwing the gun to the side, and shouting down the hall to the waiting swat team. "Ok, all clear boys."

Errold would enjoy removing this man's secrets from his dirty soul. And his mouth curved with a wicked pleasure at that thought.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

I woke up slowly, and with consciousness came hurting. Hearing voices from around me, some familiar some not, I opened my eyes carefully, trying to ignore the pain. It was actually better than it was the day before, the gels and slaves being rubbed into my skin and muscles were helping a great deal, although something felt amiss as I came to this time.

"That is it, out you come." came the familiar voice of Lepski, speaking in the binary speech they prefered to converse in, "I told the medical staff not to drug you so heavily. But they will never listen to my instructions, I believe."

I groggily sat up and looked around the room, clutching my head with one hand, my chest and everything from the shoulders up hurt terribly. Maddock was looking pensive and touching my shoulder, his alarmed expression was something I hadn't been expecting and it worried me. Why was he so upset at a slight mis-dosage. There were also four young tech-priest's in the room, the tablets (perhaps for note-taking) forgotten at their sides. Lepski leaned over the bed, one giant metal hand on my back helping me as I moved, trying to sit up.

"How long was I asleep? My data readout is giving me errors on the timeline." I asked confused, and tried to move my legs out of the bed, flailing slightly at the sudden dizziness. That wasn't right at all, vertigo wasn't a side effect of my body's healing. Lepski, whose hulking form towered over me, gently helped me up, as if I was a toddler, and they were my protective guardian.

"Do not push yourself. The medical staff put you on cybernetic blockers. You may not be able to move well for a few moments while the drugs clear your system." they said holding my arm as I slid off the bed. "There now, take a moment and let your parts find their connections to the flesh once more."

I teetered for a moment, watching the readout on my eye flash red, then yellow, then green for all systems. "That was dangerous. They're lucky I didn't go into cardiac arrest." I said in common.

"You did. They are very foolish, and I have scolded them several times. I think they are avoiding me now. Good riddance." I laughed at the contempt in the technician's voice.

"Are these your students?" I waved a hand at the quiet would-be note-takers, all with the same pensive expression as maddock that I noticed huddled against the wall.

"Some of the more promising ones, yes." Lepski said this in common as well, perhaps politely joining me in this more primitive form of speech. "I was hoping you'd be willing to talk about your code writing. I was impressed by it while we were working on you. But when I came down to complete my analysis of your recovery you heart had stopped. It was lucky that I chose now to attend you, as my expertise in restarting and flushing your system was needed."

I felt stunned by that. "They- the medical staff tried to kill me?" I looked over at Maddock, who was still eyeing me intently as if I'd fall over dead right in front of him.

"I'm not sure that it was a sinister action. Perhaps just incompadance." Lepski replied.

"In my experience doctors and nurses don't just give you the exact thing that would kill you. Maddack do you remember who gave me those drugs?" I turned and looked over my shoulder at him.

Maddock straightened and looked surprised that I was calling on him to remember this, "I think so, but the Inquisitor is already looking into it. I was told to say here with you before he, um, ran off." he said with an uncomfortable shrug of his shoulders.

"Huh," I said looking down at my robotic hand, opening and spreading the fingers and then closing them. "I can probably pull it up from my memory core if not."

However, more musing was cut short as I heard shouting from the hall and a furious Errold burst into the room, an orderly and doctor at his heels, "Please Inquisitor, sir! Just a moment, I must protest-" Errold silenced the doctor with a wave of his hand, opening the door with his other.

He walked around the bed to me and gently cupped my face in his hand, "Maddock said your heart stopped, that you were dying. I came as fast as I could after I was done… Are you…?" he said, looking down at my body, noting the clammy pallor to my skin.

I touched his hand with mine and felt a little warmth rise in my chest and cheeks as I took in the concern on his face. "I'm fine. Apparently you have Lepski here to thank for that." I motioned at the technician who jumped slightly at the Inquisitor's sudden scrutiny and politely made a little bow to him. "No thanks to the medical staff." I said, still a little uneasy, but taking Lepski's assertion of accidental negligence to heart, trying not to let my paranoid feelings filter my perceptions. I was a good cog in the Imperial machine now, good cogs didn't get assassinated, right?

Errold just nodded, turning back to look me in the eyes, giving me an odd look, as if he wanted to say something more, but other than a gentle caress of my cheek as he lowered his hands, he kept his thoughts to himself.

I felt a little awkward, and looked at Lepski, wanting to change the subject to something less… fraught with emotion, "You wanted me to talk about how I-" the request harkened back to a time in my life that seemed foreign, like from a stranger's life and not connected at all to my own. "How I write the code for my limbs?" I jerked a chin at Errold, "That is… if Theodore here will let me."

Errold gave me a scowl that I returned with a winning smile, but the tension in the room was lessening, as the inquisitor nodded, "Yes, that sounds fine. Although perhaps your technician can determine if your well enough to leave. We need to depart as soon as possible." he said this last part to Lepski.

"Yes, the examination will not take long and I will make sure the questions do not take much time, either." they looked at me expectantly, and Errold turned, requesting sharply that Maddock follow and left the room and any further embarrassment. He had seemed relieved at the excuse to leave, to be out of the suddenly cramped room, many eyes on him as he had shown me such tenderness, unfitting of an inquisitor. The thought made me smile at this retreating back.

"Well, I um, where do you want me to start?" I asked, looking uncertainty to Lepski.

They pointed to the far wall, "Why don't you walk on your own some, and describe what your system is doing as it adjusts and comes back online. I'll do some scans and make sure that you are fit for duty once more, as per the Inquisitor's request."

I nodded and started limping over to the wall, grunted and pointed at the cane still leaning by the door, growling at one of the apprentices. "Grab me that, will ya?" He quickly took the cane, and obediently handed it to me, "Thanks. Okay, so, I've got a few errors coding red in my lower spine. As things like my extremities are last to boot up, for obvious reasons."

I continued talking about the specifics regarding the actual ones and zeros that I had to deal with, switching into binary to help convey the information I was trying to pass on. However, I soon realized that if I continued, I'd have to talk about some changes I'd made to the sacred coding scriptures, one might even call those changes heresy. As the Empire was very clear that all new tech had to be carefully vetted to ensure that it didn't contain any heretical code or hardware, and any ancient technology was almost all considered forbidden to toy with, as that was how humanity supposedly fell to chaos. So, as soon as I got to the overview I needed to make about my spine and the jack at the base of my head, and the integration of the synthetic parts of my brain, I paused and looked over at Lepski. "I'm not sure I should continue. You do know that I was convicted of heresy."

The technician, who had up until that point been mostly silent, only interjecting to clarify a point or elaborate on something I was used to speaking about in the short hand, looked thoughtful, tapping the place where a chin would have been. "I do not think it would hurt for them to hear this."

I raised my eyebrow and the two of us had an unspoken conversation with that glance along the lines of, "Are you sure?" and Lepski was sure, showing this with a slight nod of their head.

I cleared my throat and sat on the edge of the bed, at the foot, clasping my fingers in my lap. "Buckle in kids." I said a little mischievously, and dived right into a full, detailed explanation of the synthetic brain and how it was made, along with the proper code it needed to run, making sure to note and clearly recite the correct protocols for the installing and also long term maintenance. Also making sure that I impressed upon them the risk I had taken by actually replacing part of my mind with psyker-proof biomatter. "It was a difficult decision that I had been reluctant to make. But it was war, and I was up against a whole underground spy organization that made it's bread and butter on altering people's minds. In a way, I didn't have a choice, as I was the only one of my siblings that could make that call, take that risk." My cautionary tale seemed to rock the youngsters back in their proverbial seats.

I remembered back to the moment I had told Mort about my plan. He had paled at the thought and spent most of the next few days begging me to reconsider, he'd practically strapped me to the bed at night to keep me from leaving. But I had been adamant, the worst part for him though, was lying to Helios. Who, at that point, had become accustomed to me going off and having this organ or that part of my body replaced. He had to look her in the eyes and tell her I'd be fine.

I remember leaving the captain's quarters the morning of the surgery, having kissed her on the forehead, and telling her I loved her no matter what happened. She'd laughed it off, but Mort had been dead sober and only gave her a sad backward glance as he followed me out.

He had made it clear that he'd only be okay with the procedure if he assisted Lockharte with it. I had never seen him so worried, so anxious or frightened, spending every waking moment from when I told him, poring over everything he could get his hands on, which was basically everything from my and Lockharte's notes.

I stripped down to bare skin and donned one of the infurnal medical gowns, my head was shaved and little dotted lines drawn on the skin that marked where they were about to cut. Even Lockharte had leaned over me as I sat in the chair, my head clamped to the headrest, his scalpel in hand, "Are you sure, Andie?" he'd asked and I had only responded with, "yes. Just get it over with." My usual bluster to hide the fear clawing its way up from the pit of my stomach.

I had to be awake as they cut through my skin, sawed through the bone of my skull, peeled back the connective tissue over my brain, and began digging in and cutting the parts of flesh out.

I remember clearly the wet 'slap-clang' of the chunks of brain hitting the bottom of the small metal bowl next to the chair, it's bottom clanking hollowly on the steel table it sat on.

I can't remember, however, when I had started to scream, or even why, having lost my ability to make coherent sentences, just letting out horrifying squeals and drooling. But after a few cuts, unable even to vocalize, just grunting and gurgling. Wide-eyed and trapped, I wildly pulled at the restraints that held fast to me, allowing for no true movement.

My brothers had assisted in their own ways. Mard, the expert flesh crafter, helped to pull apart the gray matter and place it back together after the new, purple and blue synthetic brain had been put in. Then Mark, having made a ritual that copied my personality from just before the operation using dark chaos magic, grafted the old me on to the confused animal, snarling and screaming, that I was now. My head opened, blood trickling over the chair and my clothes, my mind kind of rebooted and I went into a grand mal seizure as my memories and emotions flooded my mind in an overwhelming tide, washing over me in a wave that threatened to pull me into its undertow.

I had struggled for air under that water of memory, my systems popping up online as Mortimore and Lockharte tried to quickly bring me back up. It had felt like drowning, like being under a million tons of ocean, staring at the blackness encircling me, threatening to swallow me whole.

Then I broke the surface of the water, glorious light and air meeting me, and I could finally register the worried faces around me, able to once more recognize who they belonged to. Looking up at my worried family, I had laughed weakly and said in the loudest whisper I could muster, "See? Easy-Peasy, and you guys were worried."

It had been a success, but only just barely. The margin for failure had been vast, and although I'd made it through, there are still to this day some parts of my past that are lost forever, and other moments when the synthetic brain gives off abnormal readings, or goes a little haywire, sending false or confusing echoes to my human gray matter.

I was suddenly pulled out of my thoughts by lepski's hand on my shoulder. I had been lost in that disturbing memory, and now sucked the air in between my teeth, the chills of it still creeping up my spine. I can't imagine the expression on my face in that moment or how it conveyed the knots that tied themselves up in my belly to the technician.

We held that gaze and I was suddenly sad that I couldn't have spent more time with this tech-priest. The things we could have shared with one another, the things I could have shown them. But those were desires from another lifetime, and I just swallowed and said "I think I want some time alone, to gather my thoughts." That was the opposite of what I wanted, of course. I wanted human contact, skin on my skin, lips and hair and fluids. Everything that made us… well, us. It was moments like this that my skin burned for another's contact. Near death did that to me, made me hungry for touch and the feeling of being alive again.

Lepski seemed to sense that there was something wrong, but just nodded and shooed the students out of the room.

"I will finish the scans, then take my leave of you. Thank you for imparting your knowledge… and your warnings." They pulled the white-plastic scanning wand out from under their robes and, after a prayer, turned it on and began to scan me. After a moment they leaned close to me and said a little quieter. "I am always saddened that there is a loss of knowledge. I know that the rules on what is allowed are there for a reason. However, to see it leave-" They paused moving the plastic scanner over my chest, looking at the golden, swirling writings.

I put a hand on their shoulder, tamping my own desires and needs down, "It vexes me as well. I'm happy to have shared what I could. Even if it becomes lost eventually, I do hope it helps and finds some good before that end."

We stood there, looking at one another, and then Lepski moved from me turning the wand off and tucking it away, making to leave the room, "You are much stronger than I, bearing the weight of heresy as you do. I wish that I were able to hold that, but, although I yearn for what you know, I am to afraid of that knowledge, of what it could change." They kept their eyes fix on the floor as they moved to the door. " You may leave this facility whenever you please, your body is recovered enough. I-" They stopped in the doorway, looking back at me. "I am glad to have met you, Andromeda Tsin." The technician said, conveying a touch of regret that left me hollow feeling as the door shut.

I sat quietly on the bed, staring at the gray, cement wall, tears leaking out of my eyes, as I tried to stop a cycling of Lepski's voice repeating "You are much stronger than I" and "I am glad to have met you, Andromeda Tsin." while the scene of my surgery I had remembered earlier replayed endlessly.

I clenched my jaw, digging my fingers into my arms, willing my mind to stop torturing me. I had to interrupt the cycle. Give it something else to chew on so it stopped trying to drive me mad with the sadistic images it played over and over.

I searched around the room and my eyes fell on the little dataslate that had been left on the table next to the bed. Maddock had said that Errold wanted me to look at it, so I stretched across the bed; pleased by the range of motion, although still painful, I had now. All the parts working almost as intended.

I picked up the tablet and touched the screen, bringing up the back light. It had an encryption that I easily broke and then I frowned at the data there in. A large portion of it was gibberish, it took me a few moments to realize it was actually a love letter. Lockharte's love letter, actually, that he'd been drafting, to his ship, the Dae'Toma. It had been the fastest ship in the Imperial fleet back in the day, and had been fitted with a highly illegal AI. The ship had eventually turned on it's crew, to no one's surprise. And after a few years Lockharte and the group he ran with at the time, had stumbled across it. He had spent time with the ship, getting to know her, then when she had felt safe, she slowly revealed, only to him, that she was sentient. He had somehow managed to woo her after that, and the two became… very close. From what I understood, that was the closest thing to a functional, romantic relationship he had been able to manage in his long life. A few years after that he had been flung into the future, to my time, and had lost contact with the ship.

Being his friend and hoping to put an admiral feather in my cap, I had gone to great lengths to reunite them, only after doing so had I realized how difficult the two of them were to keep control over. Luckily it had been one of the last things I'd done before the big showdown, so there wasn't much time for them to give me headaches, although they did their best.

While the love letter was beyond sappy, it was well written. I tried to find deeper meaning as I read it, finding that it did have some interesting things to say. Hinting at some serious alterations to the ships core memory banks. 'That seems odd,' I thought. 'Lockharte would rather chop off his own foot then hurt his beloved ship.'

"What are you up to, Jason?" I said out loud to no one in particular. I set down the tablet, thinking about how he'd let himself get caught in the reflection of that glass window... that had been here, in this building… I touched my chest and thought about my heart stopping, about the careful cocktail of pharmaceuticals needed to make that happen, to bog down all my redundant systems while causing my organic body to also stop functioning.

A cold chill slid up my spine as I thought about the trap that had been set for Errold, but more so, the trap that I had also gotten caught in. Like a spider in a web, waiting for the fly. The love letter had made it sound like his location was only temporary. Like… I realized I needed to talk to Errold, right now, this couldn't wait. I slid out of bed and, grabbing my cane, opened the door and headed out into the hall.

It was empty, no personnel at all, and I glanced around. I needed a way to contact him, but I felt lost as I stood in my medical gown, leaning on the stick. I looked up at a camera in the corner of the hall, it's little green light blinked passively in the deserted corridor, however it's innocent lense now feeling ominous. I pulled my eyes from it and started walking, picking a direction at random. At the end of the hall I finally saw someone, she exited a room and started pushing a cart down the hall, and around a corner. "Please, miss?" I said a little more anxiously then I had intended.

She turned and looked confused at me, "Yes?"

I limped over to her, "Please I have to contact the inquisitor. It's urgent."

Her lips thinned at the outrageous request. "I don't think so, please go back to your room."

"No." that seemed to be my favorite word since waking up from cryo sleep, "I would very much like to use your communication system. It will only take a moment, I promise, I just need to tel-"

"Absolutely not. I'm sure the inquisitor will be around. He's been," she lowered her voice, "It's like he's been lurking around every corner. And now all the day time nurses…" She paused realizing what she saying and not wanting to continue discussing such things with a patient she finished, "Well, it's no business of mine, or yours, what he does. Now off you go to your room."

"Okay, where's the desk for this floor, or an office maybe? Anything with a comms. I'm not giving up on this, so you might as well tell me." I was losing my patience with her, and wanted to move on.

"And I said no, as well, missy. And I'll have the orderly's escort you back to your room." she said putting her hand on her hips.

"Oh! For all the stubborn-"

I had said this quite loudly and was rewarded with a muffled, "Andie?" and the door to a room that was across the hall to the one I'd been in opened and a curious looking Maddock peeked out. Relieved, but also confused as to what he was up to in the little room. I snorted at the useless nurse and walked over to where the apprentice was, the door now ajar. I looked in past him and saw a very tall, handsome mercenary. His long brown hair in braids that fell in cascades over his shoulders and back. My eyes definitely lingered on his well sculpted body, the muscles visible under his tight shirt, and I bit my lip, snapping a picture mentally of that moment. His chin raised, his blue eyes on mine, his big hands cupped around the hand of a woman, who was bandaged in the bed. He was as heartbreaking as he was attractive, the light of the small lamp casting shadows of worry along his strong features. My skin still itching, hungry for human contact I felt a very feral need in my body as I looked at him.

Pulled from my revery by Maddock touching my shoulder, the feeling almost making me want to scream, I bit down hard on the feeling, shaking my head and mumbling, "S-sorry, I just had a thought about, um, Lockharte. It's about the tablet you gave me." Errold, who had a strange, annoyed look on his face, as his eyes flicked from me to the tall man by the bed and back to me, motioned me to come in.

"Since your here, I have some questions of my own that maybe you can shed some light on."

"Can I go first, it's um," I forced myself to say, studiously not looking at the handsome, probably very virile man who now had a very confused expression by the bed, "It's important."

Errold, a little annoyed said, "What did you find?"

"It's a love letter." I said quickly, trying to sort my chaotic thoughts into something cohesive and not just rambling, "to his ship, the Dae'Toma."

"A love letter? What are you talking about?" He just looked confused now.

"Okay. You don't know about the ship. That's actually probably a bad sign. It means he's been able to hide it all these years. Errold, the ship has an AI. Like a fully flushed out personality. It's killed more than one crew that I know about, and she's about as dangerous and slippery as Lockharte. Not only that but he's writing her letters, like he's planning on seeing her very soon." Errold frowned, trying to piece together what I was trying to get at.

"So he wrote a love letter to a ship that he wanted to see again. How is that significant, it seems to me that, while strange to fall in love with a ship, it's not unreasonable to write musings to the object of your devotion."

Frustrated by the fact that he wasn't catching on to the strange workings of Lockharte's mind, I continued, "No, they weren't just musings. He said very clearly that he was going to see her very soon. That he was going to be free once more and able to finish his ultimate swan song. Errold, he's talking about you. He's talking about the trap that he carefully and artfully crafted for you. You saw his reflection the day of the fight on the outer rings, didn't you. It was the only thing on the station of him, that and the morning of he knew you were at the station, he made sure you saw him at the brothel. I know, because I was searching the data stream looking for him too." I hadn't said that out loud to him yet, and I could see him stiffen. But he also looked thoughtful. "It was an almost instant hit for someone looking. He's way too smart for that. If he didn't want to be found he wouldn't have."

"It did seem like he was there with a skeleton crew. Mostly hired tech-priests. All accept this one, here." he waved a hand at the bed and now I looked over at it. The limp form of the women there, the scar from the large hole that had been in her chest still raw. I saw the hand closest to me was metal though. It caught my eye, it's black and silver glinting in the lamplight.

"Hey," I said moving close to her, "Does she have other cybernetics?" I picked up the arm and looked at the big man across the bed from me, "Is this new, or has she had formal Mechanicus training?"

"She did a little studying. And she's always had that arm as long as I've known her." He replied, frowning at the questions, seeming reluctant to answer.

"Wait, Errold," I said, something sinister pulling at the corners of my mind, " did you say that the whole group were all Mechanicus trained? Has he been traveling exclusively with tech-priests?"

"Mostly, yes. Actually now that you mention it, everyone he's had around him has had some cybernetics at the very least." Errold said thoughtfully. "I thought it was just his preference."

"That doesn't make any sense. Why would he do that?" I said absently to the sleeping women, but she did not wake up and reply. "And altering the Dae'Toma is so unlike him. He'd let his own body get crushed to death before he let anything bad happen to that ship. And altering her memory core. That's dangerous and way to much risk."

"Humm," the inquisitor seemed lost in thought also, "So, we know he is hiring people exclusively with some kind of robotic parts, that you seem to think is out of character for him. We know that he set a trap for me, knowing that he'd be leaving quickly after it was sprung…"

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that too," I interjected, "he doesn't normally go to that length to set a trap, I'm actually really impressed. He orchestrated everything with the express purpose of having you find him. Every minute detail was crafted for you. I threw a monkey wrench into that, he wasn't anticipating me even being alive, let alone helping you. That may have moved his time table up for whatever his pet project is. And I guarantee that you do not want to find out what that is after he's completed it." I stopped then and looked back over to the women on the bed, "What's her name?" I asked the big man.

"Rainbow." he replied softly, and gave her hand a little squeeze.

I went outside the room and grabbed her medical file from the wall. It was printed on actual paper and I flipped through it. She'd had a few things removed and replaced, and like me, she'd opted for fairly unobtrusive implants. But she had a head jack that connected to her internal systems. No optics though, just auditory enhancers. If I was lucky, she might even have an on-board recording device. I held up the file to Errold's inquiring expression and wiggled it.

"I can tap into her. Plug in and see what she heard before the firefight. If that data isn't corrupted. It looks like there was massive damage to her mechanical parts, and even though the hardware is fixed, you never know the damage to the code until you boot it up."

"Your going to what?" came the big mercenary's distressed reply.

"Cool your engines, there handsome. What's your name, again?"

Errold replied for him, indicating the larger man with his hand, "His alias is Sunflower, I believe. And if you're sure you can access something then try."

I walked over to the bed and smiled at Sunflower, "it's okay. I'm not going to hurt her. She probably won't even know I'm in there. I'll be gentle." I winked and pulled the cord from the base of my skull and turned her over with Sunflower's reluctant help.

It was best if everyone in the room didn't know how intimate this was. I was basically doing the sleazy cybernetic equivalent of stripping her clothes off and feeling her up. And if I was lucky she'd not wake up while I was in her. That thought made me feel dirty in the kind of way that you want to boil yourself afterwards, and I suddenly regretted my offer to do this. My curiosity of what she might have overheard had definitely gotten the better of me.

It could actually be very pleasurable if the other person was a willing participant. A mingling of thoughts and code, the two people rolling along that wave of emotion and memory. When forced it was about as bad as you'd think.

I dipped in, starting gently, hoping not to rouse her, as the activation of her systems could send echoes to her mind, waking her up. I tried to access some of her memories, it would cause her to dream them, the auditory recorder pulling up the information and playing it back as if I had been there with her when she heard it for the first time.

There were the sounds of a firefight and I rewound more. Then I heard his voice. Lockharte was giving orders to Rainbow and few others in Binary, telling them to take their places as Errold had set off the alarms that had been set around the perimeter.

"Yep, he knew you were coming. I have confirmation on that." I said out loud to the room of intent listeners. It was strange not being able to hear my voice as I said the words, just having to trust that my throat produced the sounds I commanded it too. I wouldn't be able to hear much of anything until I unplugged from her.

I rewound more and heard Lockharte talking to one of the other priest's, enticing the mercenary to join him at his lab on a ship elsewhere so he could see the wondrous progress made in the cybernetics field. The phrase "super hive mind" was bandied about, sending chills down my spine.

"Well, I have some terrifying ideas on what he's cooking up. May the gods have mercy on us, poor wretches if even some of what he's talking about come to fruition."

I rewound more and heard groaning and sound of Sunflower's voice whispering some sultery things in my… or rather Rainbow's ear, the visceral memories of them disturbed her sleep and I felt her mind began to wake up. I decided that I had poked around enough at that point and my welcome, such as it was not, had expired. I dipped out of her data stream and quickly disconnected, then physically pulled my cord out of her port, and took a step back from the bed. Feeling a lot like a huge creep, I averted my eyes from Sunflower's and instead looked at my feet, then up at Errold. He seemed curious at my expression and raised an eyebrow but I just swallowed down on the rising self-revulsion.

"I don't think there's anything else that would um," I glanced furtively over at Sunflower, who wasn't paying attention to us, instead looking down at his lover. "That would help us." I finished lamely.

"I think she's waking up." came Sunflower's murmur, as the form on the bed stirred. He leaned down and touched her forehead, "Hey babe. You're okay, I gotcha."

"Hey," was her groggy reply, a smile playing sleepilly across her lips as she opened her eyes and focused on him.

His whispered sweet nothings reminded me of Mortimer and my gut lurched. Trying to ignore the feeling I turned to Errold, "I'm going to get some clothes on. The fact that I was almost killed by a medication screw up is suspicious too. You might want to keep an eye on her, as well, since she might still know something that could help us." I jerked my chin at the bed, "You probably won't get lucky a second time if someone accidentally gives her the wrong medication." After an annoyed grimace at me throwing orders around like I was back in charge, Errold nodded.

"I'm sure our large mercenary friend has everything under control." moving with me to the door, he said to Maddock as he passed, "keep an eye out, I'm going to speak with the head of this facility."

We moved down the hall for a few steps, then Errold split off and headed down a corridor where I could now see there was a desk and a staff member seated, going over some papers.

I continued along to my own room, hearing Errold's pleasant greeting to the nurse echo down the hall after me.

Once in the room I opened the bag I'd spied on the table by the door. Seeing that I had accurately guess that it contained my clothes, I put them on.

I took the necklace out of my pocket and looked at it, letting the two circular, metal pieces sit on my palm, the coolness feeling grounding in the still, sterile room. I thought about how far away all that seemed now, wistful of a time when I new my purpose and had the certainty that my old life gave me. Then, suddenly feeling those two hundred years very keenly. They felt more like a distance, then a time. Like it was two hundred miles, just over a rise that I could never get to, no matter how long I walked or how badly I wanted to get there. I swallowed down the welling turmoil in my stomach and put the necklace on, clasping it shut, deciding to leave the gold band on the chain.

I fingered the wedding ring as it rested on my chest, remembering the thundering voice of The Emperor as my face had been pushed down towards the pool of blood atop the golden steps of His palace. I had steeled my heart at it's metallic smell, and tried to not focus on Artemisia's voice, screaming at my back, until she went horse, while I'd been dragged up the stairs. It had been silenced along with the frothing hordes at the impossibly loud sound of the God-King's deep, rumbling words. The priest, his knife at my throat, poised to spill my blood, paused and looked up at the sudden booming voice.

I heard the door open behind me, pulling me from that memory, and I tucked the chain under my shirt, turning to see Errold stepping through the threshold.

He walked up to me and placed a hand on my back as I quickly finished buttoning up my shirt and grabbed my jacket, layng it over my arm. "Are you ready to go?" he asked softly from behind me, leaning in, his face next to mine.

"Sure." I returned the the weight, leaning into him as well, "Unless you want to have a quickie in the bed before we go." I grinned and he pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around me from behind.

"Tempting, but- No." he said and I turned in his grasp to face him. "Perhaps," he pulled my chin up as he pressed his lips to mine, "Perhaps just a stolen kiss before we leave."

I nuzzled him and said softly, "You can't steal what is freely given." Another tender kiss, then he pulled away, giving my arm a gentle squeeze.

"Lets go. You'll have to share your room with the woman, Rainbow, so we need to rearrange some things on the ship. It shouldn't take to long, then we leave port."

"They're coming with us?" I asked. It didn't seem like a bad idea, I had always made allies wherever I could and had brought them along with me on my adventures. But now I wondered at Errold's desire for them.

"Yes, they still have information that I need. I'll explain the details when we are safely on the ship. There are eyes everywhere, Andromeda."

"Call me 'Andie', will ya? And that sounds a little paranoid, there, Inquisitor." I jabbed a finger into his chest laughing a little.

He just brushed my hand away, "You were right about the mix-up that lead to your heart stopping earlier. I tracked the person who did it, with a fair amount of ease, strangely. They were posing as medical staff. Poorly, I might add. Upon being captured they confirmed that Lockharte had sent them to find you and-" he broke off, and took a breath.

"And kill me." I finished for him.

"It would seem so."

"Harsh." I said a little despondently and looked down. I wished, for the first time in my life, that Malaal had been right. That the betrayer couldn't be betrayed. But I felt pretty damned resentful that Lockharte hadn't even tried to find out why I was helping the Inquisitor. Or that he hadn't even reached out to me even in a small way to just say hello. "I guess I'm the enemy now. That didn't take long for him. He didn't even-" I bit off the words. It hurt to think about that friendship broken so easily. Something about honor among thieves, I supposed.

Errold pulled me to the door by the hand and away from that feeling, "It would seem so. He-" the inquisitor tried to find the most tactful way to phrase what he was about to say, "He is almost certainly not the same man you knew. Remember, for you it's been days, for him, it's been centuries."

I nodded wordlessly and followed him out into the hall, feeling more and more like a ghost that should be put back to rest, instead of this painful in between sensation.

"Inquisitor." a doctor stood in the hall, his red and white robes denoting his authority. Errold nodded to him and the doctor continued, "I wanted to come and tell you in person. We ran the blood of Miss Tsin after the heretic stopped her heart." he pulled from his pocket a small vial and held it up, "I found it strange that her human organs also stopped. That coupled with a strange discoloration of her throat and arms compelled me to check on this personally. My suspicions appear to be true and she seems to have been poisoned."

Errold's eyebrows furrowed in concern, "poisoned?"

"It would seem so." He handed the vial to the inquisitor's outstretched hand. "It's a particularly nasty poison that has a viral component to it. It's actually beautiful craftsmanship," He cleared his throat, "if it wasn't so heretical in nature and quite deadly."

"Indeed." Errold pursed his lips, "Doctor Brigman, wasn't it? Any idea where it came from?"

"No, it's nothing I've ever seen." There was a pause and then Errold stepped right up to the doctor, gripping the front of his robe and growling,  
"I've had a long, tiring day, and I'm not above have a psycker pull your mind apart at this point to get whatever you aren't telling me. So out with it."

The doctor paled and stuttered, "I've heard about this k-kind of bioterrorism outbreaks on the far side of the Charadon Sector, near the Eastern Fringe. But n-never so close to Terra."

Errold's grimace deepened to a snarl, "Really. You seem to know quite a lot about it."

"Rumors and m-myths. Things to scare the new medical students into not researching heretical literature, I swear, sir! Please don't hurt me!"

I saw the darkness swirling around the older man, the corruption taking a deeper hold, using the zealous fury to tighten its insidious grip. That unhinged expression that I faced down before now twisted the inquisitor's face. I put a hand on the his arm, and gently murmured, "let him go Errold, he's just a voyeur. He probably peeked at a few reports to get a thrill. Let the poor man be."

His head whipped around to glare at me, but as soon as he locked eyes with me his features softened and he let the frightened doctor go and turned his back on the man. The scared medical worker backed away slowly then quickly hurried away looking furtively behind him as if afraid the inquisitor would change his mind at any moment.

I gripped Errold's arm and then hugged him tightly, feeling the trembles of anger ripple through him. Was I hoping to subdue it with kindness? This was so dangerous for me, this whole thing and I felt that more keenly now than before. And was taken by my own desire to survive, something I had honestly thought gone from all the heartbreak.

But after a moment of this tense hugging, he relaxed some and slid his arm around me hugging me back, still staring at the wall, his face dark with emotion. "Come on, it helps to focus on something you can fix. Lets go scare up Maddock and get the hell off this station."

He looked down at me then and after looking like he was going to say something he mearly kissed my forehead and wordlessly nodded.

We met up with Maddock who reported that Rainbow was awake and could be moved to the ship, but that Sunflower would not let them take her without him. "He refuses to give us the location of the meet if we don't bring him and he is refusing to go." The young man shrugged helplessly.

I smiled slyly over at Errold, "Stealing young women again?"

"I'm not stealing her." He replied, annoyed, "Just ensuring that a source of information is-"

"-Yeah, that's what I said. But fine. I guess we can go with kidnapping instead, if that makes you feel more enlightened." I looked thoughtful as Errold glared at me, "Or maybe tech-knapping?" I nodded, more to myself then to the inquisitor, "Yeah, that's the one."

"Enough." he said sharply, "She's far too valuable to just leave here."

I winced at his tactlessness, "I'm gonna stop you there, old man." I said, "How about you talk to them in the language they speak instead of just bullying them. You've waved your dick around, Errold, everyone is very impressed. Now just let me do the talking. I've probably got more experience with merc's anyway. I doubt they've changed very much in 200 years."

"No need for insults, Miss Tsin." he said curtly, "while I'm sure you're quite capable, I've already offered them a substantial retainer for their time and services and Sunflower continues to refused it." he said impatiently, waving a dismissive hand. "He said their lives are worth more than that, whatever that means."

"Theo." I said softly, continuing quickly before he could protest the use of his first name, "You're an inquisitor, you can hand out pardons and Imperial writs like beads from a parade float on Emperor day... and you offered them money? You need to offer them something they can't refuse."

"You would have me just hand out writs of pardon like candy?" but his tone was thoughtful and he now looked at the little room where the two mercenaries were.

"Although you may not realize this, being hired by an inquisitor is basically putting a bullseye on your back. Hell, having been in the same building with you will make their contacts dry up like a girls vagina's at the mention-" I saw his eyebrows raise and stopped the thought as it tried to escape my mouth, "erm, well, it's not great for one's reputation with the seedy underbelly of a city."

"So, if I'm going to endanger their livelihood I need to make future prospects easier to obtain. Possibly even encourage more… Reputable job opportunities by smoothing out things with the local constabulary."

"Don't think local. If they leave here, they aren't coming back. Their street cred will be trashed just by being seen with you. That's why you give them the pardon. They could go anywhere, start new and fresh. That and your "substantial retainer" will make the deal unrefusable. Thus helping with your time constraint."

"I understand. Head back to the ship with Maddock, and I'll meet you there once I get things settled here." He gave us a nod then disappeared into the small room where Sunflower and Rainbow were.

I looked over at Maddock and gave him a half smile. "Pawned off on you again, I guess."

He grinned at me wryly. "The Inquisitor is just doling out tasks to the person's strengths. Mine being helping cripples, apparently." he laughed as I made to hit him with my cane, and easily dodged the half-hearted blow.

"Careful, young whippersnapper, I'm pushing two-hundred and thirty, I might fall apart on your watch just to spite you."

Laughing and feeling a little more lighthearted, we made our way out of the building and over to the docking bay. We were waylaid by a haggard looking paper-pusher who needed some things signed in triplicate, mostly to do with the explosion and subsequent spacing of station equipment. And while I felt she should be happy that it wasn't station personnel that had been spaced, I had enough experience to doubt that fact would deter the gears of bureaucracy from turning.

She had been waiting by the large portal that lead from the waiting area, with it's desks and station customs staff checking in the new arrivals, to the massive bay proper. And it was clear that she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to get the apprentice to sign them sans the inquisitor, not wanting to actually confront the frightening man, but still pressed to have somebody sign off on the documents.

The encounter took over an hour, mostly due to the flustered administration clerk fussing over the forms and making sure that Maddock knew what they said. And for the first time I really got to see him shine. His knowledge of the paperwork needed and what it detailed, coupled with his agility at how it should be filed was impressive. He not only corrected her but helped the young women find a missing piece that she'd overlooked. While we were sitting waiting for her to find the aforementioned paper I leaned over to him and with no small amount of astonishment, "Your really good at this stuff, huh?"

"I was five years into my apprenticeship on Terra when I decided to leave." he said in a matter of fact way. And I wondered then what his life would have looked like now if he'd stayed instead of running off on his adventure. He must also wonder, and I suddenly remembered a conversation we'd had while we were in the hospital, right when I passed out. He had said something about regret and death. Now I gave him a hard look, his clothes appearing baggy on his lanky body. They were immaculately laundered and ironed, a feat I could never seem to achieve. His hair, face and nails well groomed, his features that of a boy, not a man. Although I knew that he was well into his twenties.

"Um, Maddock, if you ever, uh," I paused and felt awkward but rushed forward with my words, "want to talk, like when I'm not being poisoned to death," I gave a half-hearted chuckle, "I, well, you know where I live." I tried a smile and he smiled right back and took my hand in his, giving it a squeeze.

"Thanks, Andie. I might do that."

The women walked into the room at that moment and his hand snapped back to his lap and we both straightened at her return.

After being ushered out of her office, we spotted Errold and the two mercenaries. Sunflower's large frame looming over his partner as she made her slow way with a crutch to the ship. He other arm in a sling.

I avoided her eyes as we met up with the little group and made our way to the ship.

As we approached and rounded the corner of some large crates stacked fairly high, Errold barked out a laugh. There in front of the ship was Leonard, holding his walking cane, his milky eyes staring off into the ceiling while he chatted to the bay technician next to him.

"Come to see me off, old friend?" Errold said as he strided up to the blind psycker and clapped him on the shoulder.

Leonard smiled and said, "no, I thought I'd come along."

The inquisitor's smile faded, "oh? I thought you were retired."

"I was. Then I got to thinking about what you said in that cafe. And also "Someone made a good point about living your life, instead of hiding from it. Damn it all." He uncannily nodded in my direction.

"I see. Are you sure, Leo? It'll be dangerous."

"I know. I'm not a stranger to this life, Theo."

"Well, I guess it's settled." Errold said with a confused but resigned exhale of breath.

Moments later we were all bored on the ship, me and Maddock and to my surprise Leonard sitting in the cockpit. Smiling conspiratorially at the apprentice I leaned over and whispered, "Maddock, your totally going to fill me in on the whole 'psycker from the big bad inquisitor's past, right?"

"Oh, you know it." he winked, "Start the countdown to undock, I have green lights from Station Control."

I nodded and plugged my cord into Goldie, her lovely code opening up to me like an excited lover.

Chapter 14

Up until Leonard decided to join us, the inquisitor would have had to contact a bigger ship planning to warp to, or near to the place he wanted to go. Although she was equipped with a top of the line Geller field, (named after the poor chap who invented it) the ship couldn't use it without the help of a psyker. The blind humans were trained from a young age to control it, using all their considerable power to prevent any bits of corruption to spill into our vessel from the literal tear in space and time that the ship flew through. Coincidentally that rip was also literal hell, complete with demons just champing at the bit to torture and kill everyone on the ship. So, if you found yourself without a psyker you would have to find a larger ship and hide under her petticoats, catching a ride in her Geller field.

The large sword-class ship I was captain of was asked to do this occasionally in exchange for goods or services. A very useful and sometimes lucrative exchange for all parties.

But now with the experienced Leonard with us we could charge up the Geller field and open a warp rift. Allowing for faster than light travel to anywhere in the galaxy.

Before I became embroiled in my life as a heretic I had started as a mercenary's Tech-Priest. The duties of which sometimes meant keeping a hawk eye on the engine and doing the hard mathematics involved with space flight. Helping the pilot to plot courses through prickly equations, especially when navigating The Warp. One zero out of place and suddenly you could find yourself flung to some far off place in the known (or unknown if you were unlucky) universe, sometimes even propelling the unlucky crew centerties into the past or future.

For the most part you could pull up tried and true maps and algorithms, allowing for a fast and easy trip to a well traveled area. Things got tricky when you wanted fly to a less traveled star system.

But this was going to be a short trip to the neighboring star system of Interstellar Five. Only a few hours of travel then we would have to contact the local system law enforcers and check their logs of any recent warps to and from the small and only planetoid in the area.

I sighed and leaned back in my chair, losing myself in the code of the engine. She was purring like a kitten and I found the hum of the Geller field familiar and reassuring. This was ultimately Leonard's show now. All the rest of us could do was let him guide us through and out the other side.

Maddock stood, giving my arm a gentle punch, "I'm gonna get some food while we wait."

"Mm?" I waved a mostly limp hand, "sure, I'ma stay here and enjoy the view."

"The view?" he replied, a little confused at my vacant stare at the panel above me, my gaze nowhere near the big window, "Ok, if you say so."

Somewhere in there I had apparently fallen asleep, my connection to the ship terminating as soon as I did, my chin falling to my chest. It was only the sound of the ship coming out of warp that stirred me. I stretched and yawned, rotating the co-pilot's seat and looking at Leonard who lifted the massive, heavy flight apperatise from his head. Rubbing his eyes and groaning a little. The strength needed to take even short trips through the warp were severely taxing on the mind taking the ship through the barrage of darkness outside.

"How's the first day back on the job?" I asked riley.

"Shitty." He replied grumpily. Nodding, I laughed.

"Yeah. I hear that."

He snorted at my comment and we both stood up, grunting and sucking air through our teeth in pain. Although he gave me a suspicious side eye. "You sound as old as I feel."

"Yeah I feel as old as you look, buddy." I said and stuck my tongue out at him.

Laughing, we entered the main meeting room of the ship; the smell of food was thick in the air, and I felt a rumble in my stomach. Errold, who was sitting at the table reading a book looked up and smiled at our approach.

"I'm glad you two are getting along."

"Humm, yeah, especially after you had him rifling through my head." I gave Leonard a smug look, "I could have told you that my mind is impenetrable. It's all the fake brain in there." I said tapping my skull.

Leonard looked uncomfortable, "I'm sorry about that Andromeda."

I shrugged, "water under the bridge. Anyway, I took you for a ride in retaliation, so…" I smiled, "it all equals out I guess."

"Yeah." Leo put a hand behind his head, running his hand through his salt and pepper hair with an uneasy smile.

Deciding to change the subject i took the seat across from Errold and leaning forward I grinned at him, "So, boss," I put a lot of emphasis on it, making it sound ill-fitting and ugly and was rewarded with a grimace, "What's the plan with the planet. You think this is where Lockharte went?"

"That's what the intel I got from Sunflower pointed to. It's worth checking out at least, we don't have much else at the moment." He said this while leonard slipped into the seat next to the inquisitor.

"I'm guessing we'll be contacting the local military since it's their job to monitor the system?" the tired psyker asked, sighing and leaning back in his chair, looking exhausted. Errold also seemed to note this and put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"That's the plan. But first some food and some sleep. I had the ship's computer send out a message to them. We'll meet in the morning and see what we have."

"Really? Nothing else?" I leaned forward and whispered, "What about the 'oisen-pay'?" and wiggled my eyebrows.

Errold stared unamused at my fake conspiratorial code, and Leonard laughed, "Do you think I don't understand ig-latin-pay?"

I rolled my eyes at him, "Shush, there are ears everywhere you know!"

Errold snorted, "Really Andie, you act like a child sometimes. Being poisoned isn't a joke."

"Actually, I know a really funny one about a Sister of Battle who walks into a bar..."

"Oh! I've eard-hay this one I hink-tay!" came Maddock's voice from the doorway and I looked up with the largest grin on my face as Errold threw up his hands, picked up his book, and pretended to ignore the sudden bombardment of silliness and really bad jokes that even Leonard participated in, throwing a few in. Although I did note that the old man couldn't help but stifle a smile on some of the raunchier ones.

After we ate dinner together, Errold told us he was going to bed and we should too and retired to his room. The others also got up and said goodnight to me. Maddock being last, he lingered a moment and then gave me a giant, very awkward hug and then also headed to his room.

But I lingered in the room. Sitting on my legs in the char, leaned forward on the table, looking about the room. I felt… Hopeful? It was an odd feeling. I tingling of my toes and a strange happiness that flooded me. I was still sad, still feel it lingering like an old friend at the edge of my mind. But, I felt those butterflies in my chest and a smile spread over my lips, a laugh escaping me. It started as a strange thing, bubbling up from inside me then turning into a strangled giggle as it left my mouth.

"That doesn't sound good," Errold was back and leaning easy against the opening to the large room. I just smiled at him and stood up, limping over to him. "It's a long time since I felt hope. It's just a really nice feeling."

"What are you feeling hopeful over?" He reached out to me as I approached and I put my hands up around his neck as he pulled me in close.

"That there I can feel happy even after so much heartbreak." He seemed taken back by my unguarded, candid reply. He cocked his head at me and seemed baffled.

"You are a remarkable person, Andromeda. Sometimes I wonder if you have more strength then I."

"Oh, gods, don't." I quickly pressed my lips against his, stifling anything further, not wishing to hear that for a second time today. "Just don't say that."

"But I just-"

"Nope, shush." I put my finger on his lips and then said in my best authoritative voice, "Inquisitor Errold, I'm going to need to you to shut the hell up, take me into your room and fu-"

He kissed me, interrupting the vulgar sexual positions I was going to start requesting. He pulled me into his room as we tugged at each other's clothes, pulling them off, the door sliding shut behind us.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Up until Leonard decided to join us, the inquisitor would have had to contact a bigger ship planning to warp to, or near to the place he wanted to go. Although she was equipped with a top of the line Geller field, (named after the poor chap who invented it) the ship couldn't use it without the help of a psyker. The blind humans were trained from a young age to control it, using all their considerable power to prevent any bits of corruption to spill into our vessel from the literal tear in space and time that the ship flew through. Coincidentally that rip was also literal hell, complete with demons just champing at the bit to torture and kill everyone on the ship. So, if you found yourself without a psyker you would have to find a larger ship and hide under her petticoats, catching a ride in her Geller field.

The large sword-class ship I was captain of was asked to do this occasionally in exchange for goods or services. A very useful and sometimes lucrative exchange for all parties.

But now with the experienced Leonard with us we could charge up the Geller field and open a warp rift. Allowing for faster than light travel to anywhere in the galaxy.

Before I became embroiled in my life as a heretic I had started as a mercenary's Tech-Priest. The duties of which sometimes meant keeping a hawk eye on the engine and doing the hard mathematics involved with space flight. Helping the pilot to plot courses through prickly equations, especially when navigating The Warp. One zero out of place and suddenly you could find yourself flung to some far off place in the known (or unknown if you were unlucky) universe, sometimes even propelling the unlucky crew centenaries into the past or future.

For the most part you could pull up tried and true maps and algorithms, allowing for a fast and easy trip to a well traveled area. Things got tricky when you wanted fly to a less traveled star system.

But this was going to be a short trip to the neighboring star system of Interstellar Five. Only a few hours of travel then we would have to contact the local system law enforcers and check their logs of any recent warps to and from the small and only planetoid in the area.

I sighed and leaned back in my chair, losing myself in the code of the engine. She was purring like a kitten and I found the hum of the Geller field familiar and reassuring. This was ultimately Leonard's show now. All the rest of us could do was let him guide us through and out the other side.

Maddock stood, giving my arm a gentle punch, "I'm gonna get some food while we wait."

"Mm?" I waved a mostly limp hand, "sure, I'ma stay here and enjoy the view."

"The view?" he replied, a little confused at my vacant stare at the panel above me, my gaze nowhere near the big window, "Ok, if you say so."

Somewhere in there I had apparently fallen asleep, my connection to the ship terminating as soon as I did, my chin falling to my chest. It was only the sound of the ship coming out of warp that stirred me. I stretched and yawned, rotating the co-pilot's seat and looking at Leonard who lifted the massive, heavy flight apperatise from his head. Rubbing his eyes and groaning a little. The strength needed to take even short trips through the warp were severely taxing on the mind taking the ship through the barrage of darkness outside.

"How's the first day back on the job?" I asked riley.

"Shitty." He replied grumpily. Nodding, I laughed.

"Yeah. I hear that."

He snorted at my comment and we both stood up, grunting and sucking air through our teeth in pain. Although he gave me a suspicious side eye. "You sound as old as I feel."

"Yeah I feel as old as you look, buddy." I said and stuck my tongue out at him.

Laughing, we entered the main meeting room of the ship; the smell of food was thick in the air, and I felt a rumble in my stomach. Errold, who was sitting at the table reading a book looked up and smiled at our approach.

"I'm glad you two are getting along."

"Humm, yeah, especially after you had him rifling through my head." I gave Leonard a smug look, "I could have told you that my mind is impenetrable. It's all the fake brain in there." I said tapping my skull.

Leonard looked uncomfortable, "I'm sorry about that Andromeda."

I shrugged, "water under the bridge. Anyway, I took you for a ride in retaliation, so…" I smiled, "it all equals out I guess."

"Yeah." Leo put a hand behind his head, running his hand through his salt and pepper hair with an uneasy smile.

Deciding to change the subject i took the seat across from Errold and leaning forward I grinned at him, "So, boss," I put a lot of emphasis on it, making it sound ill-fitting and ugly and was rewarded with a grimace, "What's the plan with the planet. You think this is where Lockharte went?"

"That's what the intel I got from Sunflower pointed to. It's worth checking out at least, we don't have much else at the moment." He said this while leonard slipped into the seat next to the inquisitor.

"I'm guessing we'll be contacting the local military since it's their job to monitor the system?" the tired psyker asked, sighing and leaning back in his chair, looking exhausted. Errold also seemed to note this and put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"That's the plan. But first some food and some sleep. I had the ship's computer send out a message to them. We'll meet in the morning and see what we have."

"Really? Nothing else?" I leaned forward and whispered, "What about the 'oisen-pay'?" and wiggled my eyebrows.

Errold stared unamused at my fake conspiratorial code, and Leonard laughed, "Do you think I don't understand ig-latin-pay?"

I rolled my eyes at him, "Shush, there are ears everywhere you know!"

Errold snorted, "Really Andie, you act like a child sometimes. Being poisoned isn't a joke."

"Actually, I know a really funny one about a Sister of Battle who walks into a bar..."

"Oh! I've eard-hay this one I hink-tay!" came Maddock's voice from the doorway and I looked up with the largest grin on my face as Errold threw up his hands, picked up his book, and pretended to ignore the sudden bombardment of silliness and really bad jokes that even Leonard participated in, throwing a few in. Although I did note that the old man couldn't help but stifle a smile on some of the raunchier ones.

After we ate dinner together, Errold told us he was going to bed and we should too and retired to his room. The others also got up and said goodnight to me. Maddock being last, he lingered a moment and then gave me a giant, very awkward hug and then also headed to his room.

But I lingered in the room. Sitting on my legs in the char, leaned forward on the table, looking about the room. I felt… Hopeful? It was an odd feeling. I tingling of my toes and a strange happiness that flooded me. I was still sad, still feel it lingering like an old friend at the edge of my mind. But, I felt those butterflies in my chest and a smile spread over my lips, a laugh escaping me. It started as a strange thing, bubbling up from inside me then turning into a strangled giggle as it left my mouth.

"That doesn't sound good," Errold was back and leaning easy against the opening to the large room. I just smiled at him and stood up, limping over to him. "It's a long time since I felt hope. It's just a really nice feeling."

"What are you feeling hopeful over?" He reached out to me as I approached and I put my hands up around his neck as he pulled me in close.

"That there I can feel happy even after so much heartbreak." He seemed taken back by my unguarded, candid reply. He cocked his head at me and seemed baffled.

"You are a remarkable person, Andromeda. Sometimes I wonder if you have more strength then I."

"Oh, gods, don't." I quickly pressed my lips against his, stifling anything further, not wishing to hear that for a second time today. "Just don't say that."

"But I just-"

"Nope, shush." I put my finger on his lips and then said in my best authoritative voice, "Inquisitor Errold, I'm going to need to you to shut the hell up, take me into your room and fu-"

He kissed me, interrupting the vulgar sexual positions I was going to start requesting. He pulled me into his room as we tugged at each other's clothes off, the door sliding shut behind us.


	15. Chapter 15

****Author's note.  
I wrote this before captain marvel, and although I thought maybe I should change it, it is integral to the story on a whole, so... I guess we're leaning into it, kids."****

 **Chapter 15**

I nuzzled into the crook of his arm. It was morning and he had stirred first, waking me.

"Can't we just stay in bed all day." I moved my hips against his leg, "I can come up with things all day to keep us… Occupied." my giggle was cut off by his movement as he shifted his weight away from my advances.

"We need some ground rules for this…" he waved a hand at our bodies, "this situation."

"Rules are stupid." I said from his chest, my voice muffled as I pressed my face into him.

"Andromeda, please. I mean it, they make… they make all this easier." He pulled my chin up so I had to look him in the eyes.

"Call me Andie. And if you want rules that badly, then fine. But I have to agree to them. And if they start with anything that resembles 'I'm an inquisitor' and 'because I said so' then it's an automatic vito." I smiled at him and he couldn't help the smile that spread across his lips in return.

"Andie," he paused, testing the name out on his tongue, seeing if he liked the way it felt. It seemed to please him and he continued, "I want things to be clear between us."

"Oh no. I know where this speech is going." I didn't want him to quantify how he felt. It would make me look at my own emotions and I wasn't ready for that. So, back to distracting, trying to make him forget the train of thought. It was a lot harder than I was used to with other lovers and keeping him from just circling back around seemed to be my constant challenge. But I'd always been a sucker for a challenge.

"Okay, how about this," I said with a smile, kissing him on the corner of the mouth, "You make a rule and then I get to make a rule. And as I see it your about 4 rules in, so…"

"Huh, there hasn't been time to make rules. I'm not sure-"

"Oh, you've made plenty: Don't impersonate an inquisitor," I ticked them off on my fingers as I went, "Don't walk around the ship alone. Don't come into your quarter's without an invite. Don't invite strangers on to the ship. See? Lots of rules. Your in rules debt, old man. Better pay up." I started to kiss him in ernest, reaching down under the blankets.

He grabbed my hand and looked at me sternly, "I know what your doing. I'm not as much of an old fool as you seem to think I am."

I pulled back a little, sobered, "I never underestimated you." I felt the tightness in my throat. I didn't want to be pushed away but I knew what was coming next and braced for him to make his ultimatum.

He studied my face, looking torn and pulled me close, still holding my hand in his, "It's not that I don't… feel… things for you." he paused, perhaps trying to keep his thoughts from sounding childish and naive, as talking about one's feelings often did in my experience. "I just don't want you to get to attached, I don't-" he didn't finish the thought, whatever it had been seemed to be lost to him now, his nerve failing, and now he distracted from the conversation by pulling me into a kiss.

And while I was not expecting him to offer that tidbit, I was fully willing to just let him drop the subject.

From my neck his muffled voice said softly, "I won't be around forever."

"Trust me, Theo, I know that people don't stick around forever. Weather they leave because they get bored," I hesitated, "or they die."

He looked up at me then, our eyes met and searched for unsaid things.

After some cuddling we hit the shower and got dressed.

I threw on some of my newly purchased clothes. A black tank top and some dark red slacks. Buying them had felt like a homage to my tech-priest heritage, still refusing to wear the fussy robes, this at least was akin to dipping my toes in the water: getting used to the idea of being a good Imperial cog. Although, I wasn't sure who I was kidding with that train of thought, as I well knew that I would never be able to fill the zealous imperial role. Maybe a tolerant cog that rolls her eyes enough to possibly take flight.  
As I was getting dressed Errold went to one of the heavily laden bookshelves and after a moment of consideration, his finger hovering over the titles, he pulled a small book out and walked over to me.

"Here. This will be more efficient than ig-latain-pay." and he handed me the book.

"Wow, a joke. I thought the inquisitor's stick up your ass didn't allow any room for humor." I said taking the book and dodging the pinch he attempted to give me. I flipped open the book and my eyebrows raised. It was his personal inquisitor's code. My mouth dropped open as he came in close behind, wrapping his arms around me, squeezing in a hug and resting his chin on my shoulder. "Your code!" I didn't really have any other words for this deeply sacred gesture of trust.

Every inquisitor had a secret code. A garbled mix of words and phrases that were a unique language to that inquisitor. No two codes were alike and only the trusted members of that inquisitor's team got to learn them.

"I assume you are a quick learner and will be able to memorize this?" he murmured into my neck.

"Yeah, I remember everything I've seen. But-" I looked over at him, twisting a little in his arms, "Theo, are you sure?"

"Yes. Your schooling is of the highest grade and your tech-priest skills are undeniable. You are an asset to my team and I need everyone who might be over coms to understand each other. Maddock and Leo both already know it, so that just leaves you."

I flushed from the complement and closed the book. "So, I'm apart of your team then? Not just a source of information?"

He looked sadly at me and kissed my cheek, "You talked about hope last night, and I just thought-" he trailed off and seemed unable to continue. I turned so I was facing him and leaned into his embrace.

"I've- Well," I cleared my throat, "I've never really felt hopeful. It's new and, um, I guess it's really nice." I looked down at his chest and idlily played with a button on his shirt. Meeting his eyes at the moment felt too much like I'd be letting him in on a secret that I wasn't sure I even knew myself fully.

"That gives me hope." He whispered. "That there's an end to this, or that maybe," he pause squeezing me, "that things get better. It feels really dark right now, and I'm just getting so tired of it."

His candid response made my chest tighten and I returned the embrace and we stood in silence.

* * *

We left the room and joined Maddock and Leo at the large table in the common area. Errold sat and started drinking some coffee that Maddock poured for him while going over a data pad. I leaned against the table and chatted with Leo.

We all looked up at a shout from the other side of the ship and the sound of a door sliding open to one of the guest quarters opening and heavy booted footfalls, Rainbow rushed into the common space, Sunflower on her heels, trying and failing to grab her as she snarled and pointed at me, "You!" without turning to Sunflower she shouted, "Is this the fucking tech priest?"

It was as if in slow motion seeing the punch coming for my face. I tried to dodge the blow but she was fast and got me squarely on the jaw. "Fuck you, you corrupted bitch! I'll kill you for violating me!" She grabbed me, as I straightened from the blow, knocking us both off balance, sending us back onto the table.

Everyone was on their feet pulling us apart, then. My instinct was to give as good as I got and threw a kick into Sunflower's gut so I could twist around and slam Rainbow's head into the table with my robotic arm. Mounting on top of her dazed body I pulled back my arm to throw my weight behind the swing and punched down and was rewarded with a wet "CRACK". She writhed in my grip to face me. The punch I had laid down was enough to split her skin, blood now dribbling down her scalp and neck, she faced me and grabbed my neck with her mechanical arm, teeth gritted in a snarl, her hand crushing my throat. My hands found and closed around hers in turn.

I felt the fire in my belly. The rage of battle and the heat of pleasure, a mad grin spreading across my lips even as her fingers found purchase on my windpipe and squeezed. Our eyes met, her anger suddenly giving away to fear as that warmth spread through my body.

Arms encircled me, pulling me off and away from her, shouts in my ears now drowned out by a loud ringing.

She was being pulled away as well, her eyes had a look of horror in them.

I was pissed at being robbed of a good fight and let out a roar that turned into a growl as I flexed my arms and upper body, feeling that hot heat surge from me, that strangely unbearable heat. And was that the smell of smoke and steam?

The read-outs on my eye started flashing red warnings that I was burning and overheating.

The arms let go of me and I looked down at my burning shirt, the text emblazoned on my chest there smoldering, small flames flicking off of them, burning a hole in my shirt. My arms were a-light as well, flames flicking off of my charing skin. I looked up and saw startled faces gazing back at me, and heard Rainbow say, "What the hell are you?"

Then Leonard put a hand on the back of my head and said, "Sleep."

And all was black.


End file.
